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ilEustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

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'«;.)K 


THE  NEW  PLUTARCH 


/'■ 


SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS. 


THE  NEW  PLUTARCH:  Lives  of  those  who  have  made 
the  History  of  the  World.  Edited  by  Walter  Besant. 
i6mo,  cloth  extra,  per  volume,      .         .         .         .         .         .     $i  co 

"  We  should  place  'The  New  Plutarch'  amone;  the  very  best  of  the  recent 
series  .  .  .  The  volumes  rise  to  the  full  dignity  of  oiographical  studies." — N.  V. 
Evening  Mail. 

I.  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.      By  Charles  G.    Leland,   author   of 

"The   Egyptian   Sketch-Book,"    "The    Breitmann    Ballads,"    etc 
With  portrait  on  steel. 

''  The  study  of  Lincoln's  character  >vill  always  be  a  fascincting  and  profitablo 
pursuit.  .  .  .  Mr.  Leland's  life  is  in  many  respects  an  admirable  work,  written 
with  skill,  judgment,  and  the  power  tc  inter ?st.''—5icr»^«^r'f  Monthly. 

II.  COLIGNY,  and  the  Failure  of  the  French  Reformation.    By 

Walter  Besant. 

"  The  work  of  a  thorough  and  scholai  \y  student  of  history.  ...  A  book 
which  is  alive,  and  which  gives  us  a  real  man  ind  a  Yiexo.**—Buj/alo  Express. 

III.  JUDAS  MACCABEUS,  ard  the  Revival  of  the  Jewish 

Nationaliby.    By  Lieut.  C.  R.  Conder,  R.E. 

"  A  volume  which  vill  be  most  val  lable  to  the  scholar  as  a  summary,  and 


priceless  to  the  enquirer  who  has  small  op^>ortunity  to  study  -xt  iiist  h&nA."*  —BostoH 
Courier. 

IV.  JOAN   OF  ARC,  and  the  Expulsion  oi'  the  English  from 

France.    By  Janet  Tuckey. 

'^  A  really  beautiful  book,  whose  highest  praise  is,  that  it  is  worthy  of  its  sub- 
ject."— Penn  Monthly. 

V.  HAROUN     ALRASCHID,    and    Saracen'  Civilization.      By 

E.  H.  Palmer. 

'^  An  admirable  and  graphic  presentation  of  a  remarkable  and  little-known 
\\ift." —Springfield  Republican. 

VI.  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN.    By  A.  H.  Beesley. 

VII.  MARTIN  LUTHER  and  his  Work.      By  John  H.  Tread, 
well. 

VIII.  SIR   RICHARD  WHITTINGTCN,  Lord  Mayor  of  Lon- 
don.    By  Walter  Besant  and   James   Rice. 

IN  preparation. 
VICTOR  EMANUEL,  CHARLEMAGNE,  RICHELIEU,  Etc. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  27  and  29  West  23D  Street,  New  York. 


■vr 


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.  Besant. 

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SIR     »OIIN    FRANKLIN 


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l?*iO<v  viihir..,iMii.'   --Ti  >>  J  ^ON 


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SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN 


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BY 


A .    H  .    B  E  E  S  L  V  ,    M  .  A . 


*'  Heroic  sailor-soul." — Tennyson 


NEW    YORK 

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G.     P.     PUTNAMS     SONS 

!27   &  29  WEST   23D   STREET 
1881 

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G,  P.  Puinmn's  Sons 

New  VorA 


PREFACE. 


T 


HIS  book  is  based  mainly  on  ntirnitivos  of  two 
expeditions  to  the  Polar  Seas  by  Sir  John 
Franklin  himself,  and  on  a  nionoj^naph — of  which  he 
is  the  subject — written  by  M.  de  la  Jloquette.  For 
the  latter — which  I  found  to  be  in  part  identical 
witii  the  article  on  Franklin  in  the  old  edition  of 
tiie  Encydopcedia  Britannica — I  am  indebted  to 
Miss  Sophia  Cracroft,  Sir  John  Franklin's  niece,  who 
has  most  generously  given  me  other  assistance,  for 
which  I  here  tender  her  my  heartiest  thanks.  A 
it'W  paragraphs  have  already  appi.-ared  in  articjles 
contributed  by  me  to  the  Cornhill  Mafjazine.  Gener- 
ally, 1  have  made  use  of  the  well-known  works  of 
Sir  John  Richardson,  Captain  Sherard  Osborne,  Dr. 
Kane,  Admiral  M'Clintock,  &c. 

The  maps,  it  is   hoped,  will  enable  the  reader  to 
follow  the  narrative  with  ease. 


A.  H.  BEIilSLY. 


Fthruai-y,  1881. 


a 


^ 


M 


R 


R 


CONTENTS. 


-•«•- 


Chap.  I. — A  Survey-  op  Arotio  Histori.        pauk 

lilnglish  Polar  Expeditions — Threefold  object  of  Explorers— Three 
iToutcs  to  the  Pole — English,  American,  Russian,  and  other 
Explorations — The  North  Pole  and  North  Polar  regions,  .       9 

Cqap.  II. — Franklin's  Early  Career. 

Franklin's  Parentage,  Boyhood,  and  Youth — Enters  the  Navy — At 
Copenhagen  —  With  Captain  Flinders — Wrecked — In  Battle 
against  the  French — At  Trafalgar — At  the  Sieges  of  Flushing 
and  New  Orleans,  .  .  .  .  .  .17 

Chap.  III. — Franklin's  First  Expedition. 

Scoresby's  Letter  to  Sir  J.  Banks — Expeditions  of  lloss  and 
Buchan — Franklin  with  Buchan— Franklin's  First  Expedition 
to  the  Coppermine  River — Its  objects — His  Comrades — Ship- 
wreck imminent — Hudson's  Bay — Cumberland  House  —  An 
Indian  Davenport,  .  .  .  .  .  .21 

Chap.  IV. — Franklin's  First  Expedition  (continued). 

Departure  from  Cumberland  House — Snow  Shoes — Lack  of  Pro- 
visions— Collection  of  Stores,  Boats,  Guides,  &c. — Fort  Provi- 
dence—  Visit  of  Akaitcho  —  His  Proceedings  —  Preliminary 
Excursions  to  the  Coppermine  River — The  Cold — News  from 
Home — Misconduct  of  Weeks — Winter  Occupations — Back's 
Visit  to  Fort  Providence,  .  .  .  .  .36 

Chap.  Y. — Franklin's  First  Expedition  (continued). 

Misconduct  of  St.  Germain — Difficulties  with  Akaitcho — The 
Start  from  Fort  Enterprise—"  Bloody  Fall  "—Esquimaux— The 
Indians  desert — Wentzel  sent  back — Boat  Voyage  along  the 
Coast — Point  Turnagain,  .  .  .  .  .6!) 

Chap.  VI. — Franklin's  First  Expedition  (continued). 

Return  by  Land — Terrible  Suffering — The  Canoes  broken — Famine 
— Fishing  Nets  abandoned — Tripe  de  JlocJie — Back  sent  ahead — 
Richardson's  Gallantry—Credit  and  Vaillant  b''oak  down — 
Hood's  Illness — Heroic  Self-sacrifice  of  Richardson  and  Hepburn 
— Perrault  breaks  down— Death  of  Fontano — Franklin  finds 
Fort  Enterprise  deserted — Richardson  rejoins  him  there,  .     73 

Chap.  VII. — Franklin's  First  Expedition  (continued). 

Richardson's  Narrative — Murder  of  Hood — Michel  shot — Fearful 
Surterings  at  Fort  Enterjnise — Death  of  Peltier  and  of  Samandr^     " 
— The  Indians  come — The  Party  reach  Akaitcho's  Camp — Back's 
Adventures— Dciith  of  Bcauparlant — Return  to  England,  .     94 


Contents, 


Chap.  VIII.— Franklin's  Second  Expedition. 


PAGU 


Honours  conferred  on  Franklin — His  First  Mdrriage — Parry's 
Congratulations-7-Preparations  for  an  Expedition  down  tlio 
Mackenzie — Richp*  '^on  and  Back  volunteer — Prelimiiiaiy  Ex- 
peditions of  Fra  ^liu  and  Richardson,    .  .  .  •  ^1'-^ 

Chap.  IX. — Franklin's  Second  Expedition  (continued). 

Fort  Franklin — Franklin's  Letter — Wfiiter  Occupations  auu  Pre- 
parations— The  two  parties  under  Franklin  and  Richardson  set  out,  125 

CttAP.  X. — Franklin's  Second  Expedition  (continued). 

Franklin's  \  oyage  down  the  Mackenzie — Encounter  with  Esqui- 
maux— Good  Conduct  of  Aujjustus — Voyage  to  Return  Reef — 
Fogs— Return  to  Fort  Franklin,  .  .  .  .138 

Chap.  XI. — Franklin's  Second  Expedition  (continued). 

Richardson's  Voyage  down  the  Mackenzie — Encounter  with  Esqui- 
maux— Richardson's  opinion  of  Franklin — He  reaches  the 
Coppermine  River  and  Fort  Franklin — Second  Winter  at  Fort 


Franklin — Dog  Rib  Traditions — Return  to  England, 

Chap.  XII. — Franklin  in  Tasmania. 


157 


Honours  conferred  on  Franklin — His  Second  Marriage — Appointed 
Governor  of  Tasmania — His  Letter  thence — His  and  his  Wife's 
Beneficence — Return  Home,        ,  .  .  .  .178 

Chap.  XIII. — Franklin's  Last  Expedit'On. 

Anecdotes  of  Parry,  Franklin,  and  Brougham — Instructions  for 
another  Polar  Expedition — The  Erebus  and  Terror — Fitz- 
james — Last  sight  of  the  two  Ships—  Rewards  offered  for  their 
Relief  by  Government^Their  Track  in  1845 — Cornwallis 
Island  circumnavigated — Winter  at  Beechey  Island — Deaths 
of  Braine,  Hartnell,  and  Torrington — Failure  of  Pemmican — 
Departure  from  Beechey  Island  in  1846 — Victoria  Strr.it  entered 
— rWinterinthePack-^Gore's  Visit  to  King  William's  Island  in 
1847— Death  of  Franklin— Slow  Drift  down  Victoria  Strait- 
Second  Winter  in  the  Pack — The  Ships  abandoned — Jiae's  news 
of  the  fate  of  the  Expedition — M'Clintock's  Discovery  of  the 
Record  at  Point  Victory — Esquimaux  Accounts — Conjectures 
as  to  what  had  happened — Geographical  results  of  the  Franklin 
era— Franklin's  Cliaracter,  .....  190 


Index, 


.  235 


J»Jlir;irii:^3son;!}i 


ir€»>J 


SIR  JOHN   FRANKLIN. 


-•♦- 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  SURVEY  OF  ARCTIC   HISTORY. 

English  Polar  Expeditions — Threefold  object  of  Explorers — Three 
routes  to  the  Pole — English,  American,  Russian,  and  other  Explo- 
rations— The  North  Pole  and  North  Polar  regions. 

THE  earliest  veuture  of  England  in  the  Arctic  Seas 
was  made  so  far  back  as  Alfred's  reign.  That  was 
when  Venice  "held  the  gorgeous  East  in  fee,"  and  if 
Ian  English  or  French  ship  entered  ^he  Mediterranean, 
it  was  at  once  seized  by  the  Venetians,  and  the  sailors 
sold  as  slaves.  The  produce  of  India  was  then  brought 
by  land  to  the  eastern  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  and 
carried  in  Venetian  ships  to  Europe.  It  was  to  break 
this  monopoly  of  trade  that  we  tried  to  find  another 
passage  there;  but  we  now  know  that  this  was  an  idle 
dream,  and  tliat  the  Venetian  monopoly  was  broken,  not 
by  us,  but  by  the  Portuguese  when  they  doubled  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.    And  it  is  curious — and  may  afford 


/ 


r, 


/ '' 


10 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


/ 


lit 


some  consolation  to  those  who  think  that  the  national 
spirit  has  heen  cankered  by  money-f^rubbing — to  notice 
that,  whereas  the  early  Arctic  expeditions  (even  when 
the  whole  world  was  lit  up  by  a  flame  of  ardour  which 
the  discovery  of  new  worlds  and  practically  a  new 
literature  had  kindled)  were  often  due  to  commercial 
rivalry,  and  much  the  same  sort  of  emulation  as  that 
which  prompts  the  annual  tea-race  from  China,  it  is  the 
spirit  of  honour  and  the  love  of  science  which  have  been 
the  mainsprings  of  those  of  bur  own  times.  We  do  not 
dream  of  shores  sown  with  gems,  or  of  a  short  cut  to 
the  treasure-lands  of  the  East.  No  fabled  glories  of 
Cathay  allure  our  imaginations.  Thirst  for  knowledge, 
national  enthusiasm,  the  hope  of  rescuing  some  lost 
expedition — these  are  the  more  noble  motives  which 
have  spurred  us  on,  gilding  with  some  rays  of  romance 
a  prosaic  century,  linking  together  a  knot  of  men  by 
ties  as  generous  as  those  of  King  Arthur's  Table,  and 
giving  the  lie  to  Burke*s  lamentation  that  the  age  of 
chivalry  is  de?,d. 

There  are  three  avenues  to  the  unknown  region 
round  the  Pole — one  east  of  Greenland,  through  the 
seas  on  either  side  of  Spitzbergen;  another  west  of 
Greenland,  through  Davis'  Straits,  Baffin's  Bay,  and 
Smith's  Sound ;  and  the  third  by  Bering's  Straits.  And 
whatever  has  been  the  object  of  the  various  expeditions 
sent  by  these  three  routes,,  they  sought  to  attain  that 
object  in  three  different  ways,  which,  in  fact,  constitute 


Threefold  Object  of  Polar  Exploration,     11 


three  chapters  into  which  all  Arctic  history  may  be 
I  divided.     Either  they  have  sought  for  a  North-West 
jPassajre — that  is,  for  a  papsige  from  the  Atlantic  to  tho 
[Pacific  by  the  north  of  North  America;  or  for  a  North- 
East  Passage — that  is,  for  the  same  passage  by  the 
north  of  Norway  and  Siberia;  or  for  a  North  Polar 
[Passage — that  is,  for  the  same  passage  straight  across 
I  the  Pole.    Whencesoever  they  started,  they  have  all,  it 
[need  hardly  be  said,  for  many  years  aimed  at  one  goal 
■the  straits  which  since  1728  have  borne  the  name  of 
I  Bering.     As  for  the  North  Pole,  it  is  of  course  merely 
la  name.     If  we  imagine  a  string  passed  through  th(3 
[globe  as  through  an  apple,  each  end  of  the  imaginary 
[string  is  a  Pole;  and  whether  there  is  water  at  the 
INorth  Pole  or  land,  no  one  knows.     But  out  of  the 
[ambition  to  discover  a  North  Polar  Passage  has  grown 
ip  a  rivalry  between  England  and  America  as  to  which 
jhall  first  reach  the  North  Pole.     Two  of  the  three 
)bjects  (for  the  third  and  fourth  are  practically  the  same) 
jave  been  attained.      Of  the  discovery  of  the  North- 
last  Passage  little  can  be  said  here.    The  North-East 
!!ape,  doubled   long    since   in   1742  by   sledges,   was 
[rloubled  in  a  ship  for  the  Tirst  time  in  1879  by  Pro- 
[fessor    Nordenskjold,    who   successfully   accomplished 
the  voyage  from  the  Sea  of  Kara  to  Japan  through 
Bering's  Straits.     The  North    Polar  Passage,  or  the 
forth  Pole,  has  been  essayed  by  many :  on  the  west 
)f  Spitzbergen  by  Hudson,  Poole,  Fotherby,  Phipps, 


12 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


■  \ 


,// 


Scoresby,  Biichan,  Clavering,  Pariy,  ard  Koldewey;  on 
the  east  of  it  by  Hudson,  Barendz,  and  Payer ;  and  on 
the  west  of  Greenland  by  the  Americans  and  Captain 
Nares.  These,  and  others  following  these  routes,  have 
sooner  or  later  come  upon  an  impenetrable  barrier  of 
pack  ice,  and  from  the  highest  point  reached  some 
four  hundred  miles  remain  yet  to  be  traversed  before 
anyone  reaches  the  North  Pole.  By  what  heroic 
efforts,  at  the  cost  of  how  many  noble  lives,  England 
won  the  glory  of  having  discovered  the  North-West 
Passage,  all  students  of  Arctic  history  know. 

And  here  it  may  be  said  that  the  study  of  that  history 
is  most  fascinating.  It  grows  on  one  just  as  the  glamour 
of  the  North  seems  to  fascinate  explorers  themselves, 
who,  over  and  over  again,  have  escaped  from  tlie  jaws 
of  death  only  to  offer  themselves  again  as  volunteers  in 
the  same  quest.  It  is  rather  a  recreation  than  a  study. 
In  it  you  seem  to  come  in  contact  with  men  who  are 
almost  all  noble.  Here  and  there  a  piece  of  villainy  or 
cowardice  chequers  the  narrative,  but  as  a  rule  it  is 
a  record  of  single-hearted  bravery  and  self-sacrificing 
endurance  unsurpassed,  and,  perhaps,  unparallelled  in 
any  other  section  of  the  world's  annals.  As  mountain  air 
makes  d  man  capable  of  walking  twice  the  distance  he 
can  ordinarily  cover  with  half  the  fatigue,  so  the  Polar 
enterprise  seems  to  brace  the  explorer's  morale,  and 
converts  him  into  a  hero. 
*   With  the  third  and  last  of  the   above-mentioned 


The  Polar  Area, 


13 


divisions,  viz.,  tlio  discovery  of  the  North-West  Passage, 
the  following  pages  are  more  particularly  concerned, 
relating,  as  they  will,  some  of  tho  expeditions  which 
paved  the  way  to  it,  and  its  final  accomplishment.  The 
general  result  of  all  of  them  has  been,  that  the  unknown 
region  round  the  Pole  has  been  steadily,  though  slowly, 
circumscribed.  An  enormous  area  still  remains  undis- 
covered. But  the  circle  has  been  uniformly  contracting, 
and  on  every  side  wedges,  as  it  were,  have  been  driven 
into  it  of,  it  may  be,  an  island  in  one  quarter  which  has 
been  circumnavigated,  or  of  a  mouniainous  shore  skirted 
in  another,  which,  though  unexplored,  is  clearly  the 
outline  of  a  vast  interior,  while  conjecture,  almost 
amounting  to  certainty,  enables  us  to  picture  to  our- 
selves a  large  portion  of  space  which  the  eye  of  man 
has  never  seen.  The  outer  circle  of  the  great  Polar 
basin  is  formed  by  the  three  continents  of  Asia,  America, 
and  Europe.  But  an  inner,  uneven  circle  has  of  late 
been  traced,  which  is  marked  oft'  by  the  northern  shores 
of  Spitzbergen,  Greenland,  Grinnell  Land,  the  Parry 
Islands,  Wrangel  Land,  New  Siberia,  and  Franz  Joseph 
Land.  It  must  however,  be  remembered,  that  though 
we  may  use  the  term  circle  for  convenience,  it  would  be 
wholly  misleading  if  it  conveyed  the  notion  of  a  central 
sea  round  the  Pole  surrounded  by '  a  belt  of  land. 
Whether  there  is  sea  or  land  at  the  Pole  itself  is 
uncertain,  but  it  seems  probable  that  no  central  land- 
locked ocean  exists.    We  are  more  likely  to  be  correct 


14 


Sir  jfohn  Franklin. 


\ 


I  M 


in  imagining  the  unknown  region  to  be  irregularly 
broken  up  into  great  patches  of  ice-bound  sea,  inter- 
sected by  water-lanes  in  summer,  such  as  that  between 
Iceland  and  Spitzbergen,  or  that  between  Bank's  Land 
and  Bering's  Straits ;  into  vast  tracts  of  ice-bound  land, 
like  Greenland  and  Grinnell  Land  ;  and  into  groups  of 
islands  such  as  the  Parry  Islands,  New  Siberia,  Spitz- 
bergen, and,  apparently,  Franz  Joseph  Land. 

This  is  the  sum  of  the  results  obtained  by  the  three- 
fold process  of  explorations  towards  the  North-West,  the 
North,  and  the  North-East,  mentioned  above.  The  first 
of  these  fields  of  discovery  has  been  occupied  almost 
solely  by  Englishmen.  In  the  second,  also,  they  have 
been  pre-eminent,  though  they  have  been  run  close  by 
the  Americans.  In  the  third,  the  Russians,  in  spite  of 
recent  achievements,  have  borne  away  the  palm.  The 
Dutch  in  old  times,  and  Sweden  and  Norway  of  late 
years,  have  been  conspicuous  for  their  enterprise  in  the 
seas  of  Spitzbergen  and  Nova  Zembla,  and  both  these 
islands  were  for  the  first  time  circumnavigated  in  our 
day  by  a  Norwegian  seaman,  Captain  Carlsen.  Thus 
the  honours  of  Arctic  discovery  are  shared  by  many 
nations.  Englishmen  discovered  the  North- West  Pas- 
sage and  the  Magnetic  Pole.  Englishmen  led  the  way 
to  Smith's  Sound.  Englishmen  discovered  the  straits 
between  Nova  Zembla  and  the  mainland.  Englishmen 
first  sailed  north  of  Spitzbergen.  Englishmen  have 
gone  nearest  the  Pole.    But  the  accomplishment  of  the 


A  New  Era  in  Polar  Exploration.       15 


North-East  Passage  has  not  fallen  to  our  lot,  and  both 
in  brilliance  and  patience  of  discovery  we  are  falling 
out  of  the  race  with  other  nations. 

One  result  of  so  many  competitors  filling  the  field 
has  been  that  the  story  of  Arctic  enterprise  has  become 
as  familiar  as  a  twice-told  tale.  But  at  the  beginning 
of  the  century  it  was  far  otherwise.  Tlie  northern 
shores  of  America  were  practically  a  tei^a  incognita, 
and  such  knowledge  of  them  as  we  did  possess  was  hard 
to  discriminate  from  conjecture  or  legend.  For  nearly 
fifty  years  England  had  desisted  from  the  search  for  a 
North- West  Passage ;  and  so  little  was  known  of  the 
geography  of  the  Polar  regions,  that  even  in  1818, 
Baffin's  Bay,  which  had  been  discovered  two  centuries 
before,  was  supposed  to  exist  only  in  the  imagination  of 
the  man  who  gave  that  sea  its  name.  On  the  maps  of 
the  time  it  did  indeed  exist  in  outline,  but  on  some 
of  them  may  be  found  a  dotted  line,  with  this  inscrip- 
tion— "  Baffin's  Bay,  according  to  the  relation  of 
William  Baffin  in  1616,  but  not  now  believed."  All 
that  we  now  see  north  of  it  was  a  blank,  and  from 
[Fox  Channel,  north  of  Hudson's  Bay,  on  the  east,  to 
j  Icy  Cape  on  the  west,  nothing  was  known  of  the  coast- 
jline,  much  less  of  the  group  of  islands  since  discovered 
beyond  it,  except  at  two  points  where  Hearne  and 
Mackenzie  had  penetrated  to,  or  nearly  to,  the  shores 
of  the  Arctic  Ocean.  But  a  blaze  of  light  was 
[suddenly  to  be  thrown  upon  this  unknown  region,  and 


■A 


16 


Sir  yolin  Franklin. 


/■ 


while  Parry  was  to  find  an  outlet  from  Lancaster  Sound, 
and  so,  sailing  westwards,  discover  Melville  Island,  and 
achieve  a  large  share  of  the  honours  of  the  North-V/est 
Passage,  Franklin  was  destined  at  first  to  co-operate 
patiently  by  land,  adding  the  while  to  our  maps  all  the 
coast  from  Eeturn  Eeef  on  the  west  to  Point  Turnagain 
on  the  east,  and  finally  to  complete  what  Parry  had 
begun,  and  carry  off  the  laurels  which  had  been  coveted 
for  so  many  ages  by  so  many  brave  men.  A  new  era 
of  Arctic  enterprise  was  in  short  dawning,  and  the  two 
friends  were  to  be  its  heroes  and  pioneers.  And  if  it  is 
sad  to  see  ourselves  now  dropping  behind  other  nations 
in  a  noble  quest,  it  is  pleasant  at  least  to  think  that  of 
our  past  glory  no  man  can  rob  us ;  that,  do  what  others 
may  in  the  future,  a  splendid  share  has  already  been 
done  by  us,  and  that  the  discovery  of  the  North- West 
Passage  must  for  ever  be  connected  with  the  name  and 
fame  of  England.  To  that  discovery  Parry  and  Franklin 
undoubtedly  contributed  more  than  any  other  two  men. 
Staunch  comrades  in  life,  in  death  they  will  never  be 
divided.  They  toiled  in  the  same  field  for  the  same 
object,  and  rarely  has  any  nation  been  able  to  boast  of 
possessing  two  friends  of  such  lofty,  pr'-e,  and  dis- 
interested character. 


^   \ 


r  Souiul, 
and,  aud 

(-operate 
s  all  the 
iirnagain 
irry  had 
,  coveted 
new  era 

the  two 
id  if  it  is 
•  nations 
k  that  of 
at  others 
,dy  been 
'th-West 
ime  and 
Franklin 
wo  men. 
lever  be 
he  same 

boast  of 
and  dis- 


CHAPTER    II. 

franklin's  early  career. 

Franklin's  Parentage,  Boyhood,  and  Youth — Enters  the  Nary — At 
Copenhagen — With  Captain  Flinders— Wrecked — In  Battle  against 
the  French — At  Trafalgar — At  the  Sieges  of  Flushing  and  New 
Orleans. 

JOHN  FRANKLIN  was  born  on  the  16th  of  April, 
^  1786,  at  Spilsby,  a  small  market  town  of  Lincoln- 
shire, distant  some  ten  miles,  as  the  crow  flies,  from  the 
shores  of  the  North  Sea.  His  ancestors  were  "  frank- 
jlins,"  or  freeholders,  who  had  for  many  years  lived  in 
I  this  part  of  England;  but  his  father,  Willingham 
Franklin,  finding  that  his  predecessor  had  mortgaged 
the  family  estate  too  deeply,  determined  to  sell  it  and 
[embark  in  business.  His  manly  good  sense  was 
rewarded  by  a  competency,  and  out  of  his  large  family 

)f  twelve  children,  eleven  grew  up  and  received  a  good; 

jducation.  Thomas,  the  eldest  of  them,  succeeded  his 
father  in  his  business,  and  in  the  esteem  of  his  neigh- 

)ours.     When  an  invasion   was  expecttd,  he  became 

idjutant  of  a  troop  of  yeomanry  cavalry,  which  had 

B 


1 


18 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


\ 


i 


been  raised  chiefly  by  his  exertions.  Afterwards,  he 
was  chosen  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  regiment  of  volunteer 
infantry.  The  second  son,  Willingham,  went  to  school 
at  Westminster,  carried  off  at  Oxford  a  Christ  Cliurch 
scholarship  and  a  fellowship  at  Oriel,  was  called  to  the 
bar  and  made  a  judge,  and  died  at  Madras.  The  third 
son,  tTames,  went  to  India,  where  he  ro^e  to  the  rank  of 
Major.  His  scientific  knowledge,  fulfiiling  the  promise 
which  his  distinguished  cadetship  had  foreshadowed, 
procured  him  a  civil  appointment,  but  ill  health  com- 
j)elled  him  to  return  to  England,  where  he  died.  The 
youngest  son,  John,  was  first  destined  for  the  church, 
and  was  sent  to  school  at  St.  Ives,  and  afterwards  at 
Louth.  One  holiday,  however,  he  and  a  friend  took  a 
walk  to  the  sea.  As  yet  he  knew  it  only  by  hearsay, 
though,  like  so  many  English  boys,  he  was  already 
dreaming  of  a  sailor's  life.  The  grand  sight  fixed  his 
fancy  for  ever,  and,  with  his  usual  good  sense,  his  father 
sent  him  to  Lisbon  in  a  merchantman,  thinking  that  the 
experiences  of  a  voyage  would  cure  him  of  his  whim. 
Hut  his  own  steadfastness  was  reproduced  in  his  son. 
When  the  boy  came  home,  still  bent  on  the  naval  pro- 
fession, he  was  no  longer  thwarted  in  his  wish,  but 
obtained  through  his  father's  agency  a  midshipman's 
berth  on  the  Polyphemus,  which  led  the  line  in  the 
battle  of  Copenhagen  on  the  2nd  of  April,  1801.  Two 
months  later  he  was  serving  in  the  Investigator,  com- 
manded by  his  relation  Captain  Flinders,  who  was  sent 


Franklin's  Professional  Career.  19 


out  to  survey  the  coasts  of  Australia.  The  experience 
he  acquired  in  this  cruise  was  invaluable,  and  tiie  well- 
known  naturalist  of  the  expedition,  liobert  Brown, 
became  his  friend  for  life.  The  Investigator  was 
condemned  at  Port  Jackson  as  unfit  for  her  duties,  and 
Franklin  sailed  in  the  Porpoise  with  Captain  Flinders, 
who  went  home  to  procure  another  ship.  The  Poi-poise 
struck  on  a  coral  reef  off  the  coast  of  Australia,  and  her 
crew,  with  that  of  her  consort  the  Cato,  ninety-four  in 
number,  were  imprisoned  for  fifty  days  on  a  strip  of 
sand  150  fathoms  long  and  only  four  feet  above  water. 
Flinders,  after  a  voyage  of  250  leagues  to  Port  Jackson 
in  an  open  boat,  rescued  his  companions,  but,  war  having 
broken  out  between  France  and  England,  was  un- 
generously detained  as  prisoner  at  the  Isle  of  France 
by  General  de  Caen.  Franklin,  sailing  to  Canton, 
procured  a  passage  home  in  an  East  ludiaman  cora- 
jmandc'd  by  Sir  Nathaniel  Dance.  On  the  voyage,  the 
China  fleet,  of  which  Dance  was  Commodore,  brilliantly 
beat  off  a  strong  French  squadron  commanded  by 
Admiral  Linois,  and  Franklin  on  this  occasion  acted  as 
[signal  midshipman.  Joining  the  Bellerophon  at  home, 
he  filled  the  same  post  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  with  a 
gallantry  which  even  the  hero  of  Trafalgar  could  not 
fiave  surpassed.  Of  those  who  stood  near  him  on  the 
)oop,  all  except  four  or  five  were  either  wounded  or 
:illed.  During  the  two  years  after  Trafalgar  he  served 
mder  Admirals  Cornwallis,  Saint  Vincent,  and  Strahan, 


20 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


and  then,  joining  the  Bedford,  remained  on  her  for  six 
years,  and  saw  much  and  varied  service  at  the  siege  of 
Flushing,  and  on  the  coasts  of  Portugal  and  Brazil.  He 
was  now  a  lieutenant,  and  in  the  disastrous  attack  ou 
New  Orleans  commanded  the  boats  in  a  fight  with  the 
enemy's  gunboats,  capturing  one  of  them,  and  receiving 
a  slight  wound  in  the  shoulder.  For  his  gallantry  on 
tills  occasion  he  was  promoted  to  a  first  lieutenancy  on 
the  Forth,  which,  at  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons,  con- 
veyed the  Duchess  d'Angouleme  back  to  France.  With 
the  fall  of  Napoleon  and  the  close  of  the  war  there  was 
apparently  an  end  also  to  the  brilliant  young  officer's 
prospects  of  distinction.  But  to  such  souls  opportunity 
is  but  seldom  wanting  long,  and  he  who  had  played  his 
part  so  worthily  under  such  renowned  captains  in  war 
was  now  himself  destined  to  show  the  qualities  of  a 
great  leader,  and  to  reap  the  first  harvest  of  a  fame 
which  will  hardly  be  outlasted  by  that  even  of  the 
giants  of  his  age. 


ii;.! 


CHAPTER    III. 


FRANKLINS  FIRST  EXPEDITION. 

Scoresby's  Letter  to  Sir  J.  Banks — Expeditions  of  Ross  and  Duchan — 
Franklin  with  Buchan — Franklin's  First  Expedition  to  the  Copper- 
niine  River — Its  objects — His  Comrades — Shipwreck  imminent — 
iliidsou's  Bay — Cumberlai: .  House — An  Indian  Davenport. 

IT  has  been  already  mentioned  that  for  a  long  time 
pjiigland  had  desisted  from  prosecuting  the  search 
for  a  North- West  Passage.  Partly,  no  doubt,  this  was 
owing  to  the  all-absorbing  struggle  with  France  and 
Napoleon,  which  left  no  capacity  for  expenditure  of 
energy  in  any  other  direction.  Partly,  perhaps,  the 
search  had  come  to  be  considered  as  hopeless  as  the 
search  for  the  Holy  Grail.  But  just  when  we  emerged 
triumphant  from  our  long  agony,  and  the  nation  was  > 
full  of  the  pride  and  daring  inspired  by  the  conscious- 
ness of  great  deeds,  fresh  interest  began  to  be  taken  in 
the  old  field  of  adventure,  owing  to  the  reports  brought 
home  by  that  bold  and  able  seaman,  the  whaling-master 
Scoresby.  He  had  noticed  in  1817  a  great  change  in 
the  sea  west  of  Greenland,  which,  between  the  74th 


22 


Sir  yohn  Franklin* 


and  80th  degrees  of  latitude,  was  for  some  18,000  square 
miles  entirely  free  from  ice,  so  that  he  had  twice  in  his 
last  voyage  sailed  in  a  region  which  previously  lie  had 
been  able  to  enter  only  very  rarely.  The  cause  of  this 
state  of  things  he  attributed  to  some  mighty  dislocation 
of  the  ice-fields  far  north,  and  he  wrote  to  Sir  Joseph 
Banks,  President  of  the  Royal  Society,  suggesting  that 
now  was  the  time  for  renewing  Arctic  exploration  with 
reasonable  hopes  of  success.  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  ever 
eager  to  second  such  applications,  brought  the  matter 
before  the  Government,  and  met  with  warm  support 
from  the  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty,  Sir  John  Barrow. 
The  consequence  was,  that  in  the  year  1818  two 
expeditions  were  sent  to  the  North,  one  under  Captain 
John  Ross,  which  was  ordered  to  sail  to  Davis'  Straits, 
and  thence  make  its  way  westwards,  so  as,  if  possible, 
to  find  a  North- West  Passage;  and  the  other,  under 
Captain  Buchan,  to  sail  due  north  between  Greenland 
and  Spitzbergen,  and,  if  the  sea  was  free  from  ice,  to 
make  for  Bering's  Straits.  A  reward  of  £5,000,  which 
had  beer*  offered  by  Act  of  Parliament  in  1776  to 
anyone  who  sailed  beyond  89  degrees  of  latitude  north- 
wards, was  now  supplemented  by  another  of  £20,000 
to  anyone  who  discovered  a  passage  between  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans. 

Both  the  expeditions  were  failures.  Captain  Ross 
sighted  Smith's  Sound,  but  failed  to  explore  either  it 
or  Jones'  Sound,  and  when  many  of  his  crew  were  of 


Franklin  and  Parry, 


U 


opinion  that  the  passage  of  promise  had  been  descried 
in  Lancaster  Sound,  be  himseU"  by  faith  saw  mountain? 
where  there  wei3  lone,  and,  to  the  disappointment  of 
liis  officers,  steered  southwards  home  again.  Buchan, 
alter  touching  at  Bear  Island,  advanced  beyond  the 
80th  degree  of  latitude  on  the  north-west  of  Spitz- 
bergen,  only  to  find  an  impenetrable  barrier  of  ice  in 
bis  way;  and  one  of  his  ships  being  crippled  by  an 
encounter  with  the  ice,  he  too  was  forced  to  return  to 
Jlngland.  But  though  the  main  objects  of  the  venture 
had  altogether  failed,  incidentally  they  had  great 
results,  for  under  each  captain  served  a  lieutenant 
who  now  obtair-ad  his  first  experience  of  the  Arctic 
seas — Franklin  being  second  in  command  to  Buchan, 
and  Parry  being  one  of  the  officers  who,  where  their 
captain  could  only  read  failure,  had  confidently  pre- 
dicted success.  Franklin,  when  his  commander's  ship 
was  disabled,  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  proceed  on 
his  mission  by  himself,  and  both  of  them  had  displayed 
qualities  in  their  respective  positions  which  promptly 
found  recognition  at  home.  So  that  the  very  next  year, 
when  a  new  expedition  was  organised,  which  was  to 
comprise  an  attempt  by  sea  to  find  a  westward  outlet 
from  Lancaster  Sound,  and  an  attempt  by  land  to  strike 
the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  Eiver  and  trace  the 
coast  eastward,  the  first  of  the  two  was  entrusted  to 
Parry's  leadership,  and  the  other  to  Franklin's,  iu  the 
hope  that  these  young  officers  who  had  shown  such 


■r-r    f  ,,:., 


24 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


aptitude  for  the  service  would  meet  somewhere  half- 
way. With  the  splendid  success  which  Parry  achieved 
we  have  nothing  to  do  here.  What  Franklin  did  might 
almost  be  called  failure,  but  it  was  a  failure  almost  as 
splendid  as  his  comrade's  success ;  and  so  heroic  was 
the  fortitude  displayed  by  himself  and  his  officers,  so 
terrible  the  tale  of  the  sufferings  which  they  endured, 
that,  even  if  the  last  tragedy  of  his  life  had  never 
happened,  his  name  must  have  lived  for  ever  in  the 
roll  of  those  Englishmen  of  whom  Englishmen  are  most 
proud. 

Franklin's  mission  may  be  best  explained  i.a  his  own 
words.  "My  instructions,  in  substance,  informed  me 
that  the  main  object  of  the  expedition  was  that  of 
determining  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  the  northern 
coast  of  North  America,  and  the  trending  of  that  coast 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  River  to  the  eastern 
extremity  of  that  continent."  Much  was  left  to  his 
own  discretion,  but  he  was  directed  to  take  counsel 
with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  officials,  to  be  as  exact 
as  possible  in  scientific  observations — especially  of  the 
Aurora  Borealis — and  geographical  surveys,  and  to 
deposit  at  intervals  on  his  route  information  which 
might  be  of  service  to  Lieutenant  Parry.  Before  leav- 
ing England,  he  received  many  useful  hints  from  the 
Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  from  Sir 
Alexander  Mackenzie,  the  only  living  Englishman  who 
Hid  visited  the  coast  to  be  explored. 


e  half- 
ihieved 
[  might 
aost  as 
3ic  was 
cers,  so 
adured, 
L  never 
in  the 
re  most 


us  own 
led  me 
that  of 
orthern 
it  coast 
eastern 

to  his 
counsel 
IS  exact 
'  of  the 
and  to 

which 
:e  leav- 
om  the 
om  Sir 
an  who 


■((■■  .-:r-^^ 


Franklin  s  Expedition, 


25 


Fmnklin  embarked  at  Gravesend,  in  tho  FHnce  of 
Wales,  on  the  2brd  of  May,  1819.  With  him  were 
Dr.  Richardson,  since  so  well  known  as  Sir  John 
Uichardson,  who  was  to  act  as  surgeon  and  naturalist 
to  the  expedition,  and  two  Admiralty  midshipmen, 
George  (afterwards  Sir  George)  Back  and  Kobert  Hood, 
who  were  to  assist  in  the  general  objects  in  view,  and 
to  make  drawings  of  the  land,  the  natives,  and  the 
various  objects  of  natural  history.  Only  one  other 
Englishman  accompanied  these  officers  to  their  final 
destination,  John  Hepburn,  to  whose  staunch  heart  and 
stalwart  frame  his  companions  subsequently  owed  their 
lives.  Franklin  was  indeed  peculiarly  fortunate  in  his 
comrades,  and  at  the  very  outset  had  a  proof  of  the 
stuff  of  which  one  of  them.  Back,  was  made.  When 
the  ship  sailed  from  Yarmouth  he  was  on  an  excursion, 
and  it  was  only  by  dint  of  travelling  for  nine  days 
almost  without  rest  that  he  caught  up  the  party  at 
IStromness.  A  ball  was  going  on,  and  to  it,  instead  of 
[to  bed,  he  went,  and  remained  till  a  late  hour. 

While  Franklin  endeavoured  to  procure  boatmen, 
|Dr.  Richardson  occupied  himself  in  botanising,  and 
[ood  and  Back  in  sketching,  thus  training  themselves 
for  their  respective  duties.  Of  boatmen  Franklin  could 
)nly  procure  four,  and  these  would  only  engage  to  go 
IS  far  as  Fort  Chipewyan — a  serious  misfortune,  as  he 
ifterwards  found  to  his  cost.  On  the  16th  June 
Uromness  was  left,  and  when  we  find  that  Davis* 


/ 


26 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


Straits  were  not  entered  till  the  2r)tli  of  July,  we  have 
a  striking  example  of  the  advantages  which  steam 
gives  the  modern  navigator.  On  the  7th  of  August  the 
island  of  Resolution  was  seen  from  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
With  her  had  come  from  Stromness  three  otiier  ships, 
the  Eddystone,  the  Wear,  and  the  missionary  brig 
Harmony.  A  heavy  fog  and  a  dead  calm  came  on,  and 
the  ships  drifted  with  the  currents  which  ran  between 
large  icebergs.  At  half-past  twelve  o'clock  the  fog 
suddenly  lifted,  and  they  saw,  towering  over  the  mast- 
heads, a  rugged  shore  only  a  few  yards  off.  Almost 
immediately,  the  ship  struck  violently  on  a  projecting 
point  of  rock,  displacing  the  rudder,  and  so  rendering 
her  the  more  helpless.  A  gentle  swell  'floated  her  off, 
and  as  she  struck  again  while  passing  over  a  ledge,  the 
rudder  was  replaced  by  the  blow.  Though  now  more 
manageable,  she  struck  a  third  time,  and  was  again 
released  by  a  swell  of  the  sea,  only  to  be  carried  forcibly 
by  the  current  against  a  large  iceberg.  Shipwreck 
seemed  inevitable,  as  water  was  being  made  fast,  and 
on  signals  of  distress  being  hoisted,  the  Eddystone  took 
the  Prince  of  Wales  in  tow,  while  the  passengers  and 
crew  set  to  pumping,  and  endeavouring  to  find  and 
stop  the  leak.  But  all  efforts  seemed  unavailing.  In 
vain  the  carpenters  tried  to  stop  the  inrush  of  the 
water  by  forcing  oakum  between  the  timbers.  The 
leak  increased  so  fast  that  parties  had  to  bail  out  the 
water  from  the  hold  in  buckets.     Then  the  tow-rope 


Voyage  to  Hudson  s  Bay. 


27 


broke,  and  some  of  the  seamen  had  to  leave  the  pumps 
to  work  the  ship.  Tliey  were  so  weary,  too,  that 
during  the  night  of  the  8th  tliey  relaxed  their  exer- 
tions, and  on  the  9th  there  was  a  depth  of  more  than 
five  feet  of  water  in  the  well. 

As  the  day  wore  on  they  could  but  just  keep  matters 
from  getting  no  worse,  and  again  they  felt  their  strength 
leaving  them.  So  they  tried  tlirusting  in  felt  as  well 
as  oakum,  over  M'hicli  they  nailed  a  plank.  This  had 
such  an  effect  that  by  nightfall  they  had  only  to  use 
the  pumps  at  intervals  of  ten  minutes.  Tiien  a  sail, 
covered  with  everything  that  could  be  drawn  into 
the  leak  by  suction,  was  hauled  under  the  ship,  and 
secured  by  ropes  on  each  side.  The  relief  came  none 
too  soon,  for  though  the  elder  women  and  children 
had  been  sent  to  the  Eddy  stone,  the  younger  women 
had  been  forced  to  share  the  labour  at  the  pumps. 
Meanwhile  the  Wear  had  been  lost  sight  of,  and  much 
anxiety  was  felt  as  to  her  fate.  At  Upper  Savage 
Island  tlie  first  Esquimaux  was  seen.  On  the  19th  the 
Eddystone  parted  company  off  Digge's  Island,  being 
bound  for  Moose  Factory,  at  the  bottom  of  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  on  the  30th  the  Prince  of  Wales  reached  the 
anchorage  of  York  Flats,  where  a  ship  was  already 
lying,  which,  after  anxious  examination,  happily  proved 
to  be  tlie  Wear.  Such  were  the  perils  Franklin 
encountered  before  he  had  even  begun  his  real  journey. 
They  were  the  shadows  of  what  was  to  come. 


•t 


28 


Sir  yoJift  Franklin. 


York  Factory  is  distant  seven  miles  from  the  Flats, 
and  there  Franklin  went  with  the  Governor  on  landing. 
It  is  the  principal  depot  of  the  HikIsou's  Iliy  Company, 
and  stands  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hayes  Kiver,  iive 
miles  from  its  mouth.  There  was  at  this  time  bitter 
commercial  rivalry,  and  even  open  war,  between  the 
JIudson's  ]}ay  Company  and  the  North-West  Company, 
which  divided  with  it  the  fur  trade  with  the  natives  of 
North  America.  Several  of  the  partners  in  the  latter 
company  were  under  detention  at  York  Factory,  and 
Franklin  was  gratified  at  finding  that,  if  at  variance 
with  each  other,  both  parties  professed  equal  eager- 
ness to  serve  him.  He,  on  his  part,  issued  orders  to  his 
men  not  to  interfere  in  any  existing  quarrels  or  any 
future  ones — orders  whicli  had  a  most  satisfactory 
effect.  All  his  advisers  recommended  him  to  take  the 
route  to  Cumberland  House,  where  both  companies 
possessed  fortified  houses,  and  thence  through  the  chain 
of  posts  to  the  Great  Slave  Lake.  .  He  could,  liowever, 
only  procure  one  steersman  for  his  voyage  up  the 
Hayes  Eiver,  and  the  boat  given  him  by  Governor 
Williams  of  York  Factory,  though  one  of  the  largest 
belonging  to  the  Company,  proved  too  small  to  hold  the 
necessary  stores,  so  that  the  bacon  and  part  of  the  rice, 
tobacco,  flour,  and  ammunition  were  left  behind — the 
Governor  undertaking  to  forward  all  but  the  bacon  the 
following  season,  and  assuring  him  that  he  could  pro- 
cure tobacco,  ammunition,  and  spirits  in  the  interior. 


Expedition  leaves   York  Factory, 


29 


It  was  an  ominous  beginning  to  the  undertaking,  that 
from  the  very  first  there  was  a  deficiency  of  stores. 

On  the  9th  of  September  a  start  was  made,  and  the 
boat  set  sail  up  the  Hayes  River  amid  a  sahito  of  guns 
and  the  cheers  of  the  Governor  and  his  people.  JJut 
when  they  liad  sailed  six  miles  the  wind  fell,  and  the 
crew  had  to  begin  tracking — that  is,  dragging  the  boat 
up  stream  from  the  shore  by  a  rope  to  which  they 
were  harnessed.  It  was  hard  work,  the  ground  being 
slippery  from  rain,  and  encunbered  by  fallen  trees,  but 
they  proceeded  at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour,  work- 
ing in  g.mgs,  which  relieved  each  other  every  hour  and 
a-half.  As  they  went  along,  a  careful  survey  was  made 
of  the  river,  and  Mr.  Hood  laid  down  the  route  each 
evening  on  a  map. 

Leaving  the  Hayes  River,  after  a  journey  of  48  miles 
and  a-half,  they  ascended  one  of  its  confluents,  the 
Steel  River,  which  at  its  mouth  is  three  hundred  yards 
wide.  Tracking  was  usually  the  order  of  the  day,  as 
tlie  course  cf  the  river  was  too  serpentine  for  sailing. 
The  scenery  was  charming.  Poplars  with  fading  yellow 
leaves,  dark  evergreen  spruces,  grey  willows,  purple 
dog-wood,  •bircli  cf  a  browner  shade,  and  bright  yellow 
cinquefoil,  made  up  a  wealth  of  beautifully-blended 
colour.  ])ut  not  a  human  being  was  to  be  seen,  and,  as 
the  monotonous  toil  went  on,  the  silence  was  so  deep, 
that  the  men  would  start  at  the  note  of  a  bird. 

On  September   19th  they  began  the  ascent  of  the 


30 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


Hill  River,  which,  with  the  Fox,  forms  the  river  Steel. 
Here  they  met  a  party,  tlie  Indians  of  which  had,  with 
only  a  hatchet,  killed  on  the  previous  day  two  deer,  a 
hawk,  a  '  curlew,  and  a  sturgeon.  Here,  too,  they 
were  joined  by  three  other  of  the  Company's  boats, 
and  Franklin,  finding  he  could  not  keep  pace  with 
them  owino'  to  his  boat  being  so  overladen,  be^^ged  those 
in  cliarge  to  carry  part  of  his  stores.  Tliis  they 
churlishly  refused  to  do,  in  spite  of  the  Governor's 
orders  that  they  should  assist  him  in  every  way.  The 
steersman,  havincj  no  one  in  whose  track  he  could 
follow,  kept  taking  the  wrong  channel,  the  track  rope 
broke  twice,  and  officers  and  men  had  to  leap  into  the 
water,  and  hold  the  head  of  the  boat  to  the  current  to 
prevent  it  going  dovv^n  broadside  and  being  dashed  to 
pieces  against  the  stones.  The  other  boats  now  con- 
sented to  carry  a  few  boxes  of  stores,  but  only  as  far  as 
a  depot  called  Rock  House,  which  is  a  short  distance 
beyond  Rock  Portage.  By  a  portage  is  meant  a  place 
where,  owing  to  rapids  and  waterfalls,  a  boat,  when 
ascending  a  river,  has  to  be  hauled  ashore,  unloaded, 
carried  by  land  to  navigable  water  higher  up,  reloaded 
there,  and  re-launched.  This  toilsome  process  was  exe- 
cuted at  this  place,  with  this  exception,  that  sixteen 
packages  of  stores  were  left  behind  at  the  depot  to  be 
forwarded  the  next  season,  as  it  w^as  feared  that,  unless 
lightened,  the  boat  would  be  stopped  by  the  winter  ice 
before  it  could  reach  Cumberland  House. 


Toils  of  the  Route. 


31 


In  this  weai-y  way  they  toiled  on  through  portage 
after  portage,  sometimes  with  a  line  hauling  the  boat 
up  falls  and  rapids,  which  the  boatmen  called  spouts ; 
sometimes  carrying  enormous  loads  through  deep  bogs  ; 
sometimes  in  imminent  peril  of  being  carried  away  by 
the  current ;  remaining  in  wet  clothes  all  day,  when  the 
temperature  was  below  the  freezing  point,  with  perhaps 
the  reflection  at  night  that  they  had  advanced  a  mile 
and  a-half  after  all  their  exertions ;  but  cheered  at  times 
by  the  views  from  the  river-banks,  near  which,  from  one 
hill,  thirty-six  lakes  are  said  to  be  visible  ;  till  at  length 
the  ascent  of  Hill  River  was  accomplished,  and,  rigging 
up  a  new  mast,  they  set  sail  on  Swampy  Lake,  where 
they  reached  a  depot  of  the  Company.  The  tenants  of 
this  depot  gave  them  a  supply  of  mouldy  pcmmican — 
their  own  sole  subsistence  at  this  season,  when  the 
lake  yields  no  fish. 

Jack  River,  which  they  entered  from  the  lake,  was 
full  of  rapids,  though  only  eight  miles  long ;  and  here 
an  Indian  came  back  with  an  answer  to  a  letter  written 
by  Franklin  nine  days  before,  renewing  Governor 
Williams'  injunctions  to  the  Company's  officials  to 
assist  the  expedition.  Knee  Lake,  so  called  from  the 
bend  in  it,  succeeded  the  Jack  River,  and  Trout  River 
Knee  Lake.  At  one  of  the  portages  this  river  formed 
a  cascade  sixteen  feet  in  height  called  Trout  Fall,  and 
at  another,  called  Knife  Portage,  the  bed  of  the  river 
consisted  of  slaty  rocks,  which  lacerated  the  boatmen's 


Vlkmi 


32 


Str  John  Franklin, 


^t'f- 


feet.  On  the  28th  of  September  they  reached  Oxford 
House,  on  Holey  Lake,  once  a  Hudson's  Bay  post  of 
some  importance.  Here  they  obtained  some  better 
pemmican  and  some  fish,  with  which  the  lake  abounds, 
trout  of  upwards  of  forty  pounds  in  weight  being 
caught  in  it. 

Up  the  Weepinapannis  River  and  through  Windy 
Lake  they  went  on  till  they  reached  a  romantic  defile, 
named  Hill  Gates,  where  perpendicular  rocks  sixty  or 
eighty  feet  high  contract  ^he  river  so  narrowly  for 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  that  there  is  not  room  to  ply 
oars.  The  labours  of  the  next  portage,  thirteen  hundred 
yards  in  length,  were  lightened  by  the  majestic 
scenery,  rushing  torrents  ending  in  wild  cascades, 
beneath  huge  masses  of  shapeless  rock,  coloured 
by  moss  and  lichen,  and  crowned  by  evergreen  pines. 
Here,  for  the  first  time,  a  "lop  stick"  was  seen — 
that  is  to  say,  a  pine-tree  shorn  of  all  but  its  topmost 
tuftSi  which  serves  to  point  out  the  right  route.  These 
rude  landmarks  have  a,  rather  curious  origin.  A  man 
treats  his  friends  to  some  rum,  and  out  of  gratitude 
they  shave  the  tree,  and  call  it  for  the  future  by  his 
name. 

Soon  afterwards  an  accident  befell  Franklin.  He 
slipped  from  a  rock  into  the  river,  and  was  carried 
some  distance  down  the  stream,  till  he  grasped  a  willow, 
and  held  on  until  rescued.  Though  that  night  the 
thermometer  stood  at  25°,  the  only  injury  he  sustained 


Progress  of  the  Expedition, 


33 


was  the  loss  of  the  minute  hand  of  his  chronometer. 
All  this  time  they  had  been  ascendinj^  the  waters  which, 
near  York  Factory,  end  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hayes  River. 
At  a  point  called  the  "Painted  Stone"  they  began  the 
descent  of  the  Echemamis,  which  flows  westward  at 
first  and  then  joins  the  Nelson,  which  flows  eastward, 
till  it  reaches  Hudson's  Bay.  Governor  Williams  now 
joined  them,  having  come  from  York  Factory  in  a 
canoe.  By  October  6th  they  liad  reached  the  Hudson's 
Bay  trading  post  at  Norway  Point,  which  is  the  point  of 
the  peninsula  separating  Play  Green  Lake  from  Lake 
Winnipeg. 

The  muddiness  of  these  lakes  is  quaintly  accounted 
for  bv  the  Indians.  One  of  their  deities,  a  sort  of 
Piobin  Puck  named  Weesakootchakt,  is  treated  with 
scant  respect  by  them.  An  old  woman,  it  is  said,  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  the  mischievous  imp,  and  called  in 
all  the  squaws  of  her  tribe  to  join  in  punishing  him. 
When  he  got  free,  they  had  left  him  in  so  filthy  a 
condition  that  he  dirtied  all  the  waters  of  the  lakes  in 
washing  himself  clean,  and  ever  since  then  they  have 
been  called  Winnipeg,  or  Muddy  Water. 

Sailing  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg, 
the  boats  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchawan,  and 
ad  the  lOth  of  October  was  spent  in  getting  them 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  the  foot  of  the  great 
rapid — a  distance  of  two  miles.  Crossing  Crosr*  Lake, 
they  entered  Cedar  Dike,  the  largest  sheet  of  fresh  water 


i 


m 


n 


34 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


tbey  had  yet  seen,  and  followed  the  Saskatchawan  till 
they  reached  first  the  Little  River,  and  then  by  it  and 
Pine  Island  Lake,  on  October  23rd,  Cumberland  House. 
It  was  none  too  soon.  Latterly  the  oars  had  been  so 
loaded  with  ice  as  to  be  scarcely  workable,  and  the  ice 
had  to  be  broken  before  the  landing-place  could  be 
reached.  Here,  at  Governor  Williamb'  invitation, 
Franklin  determined  to  spend  the  winter;  but  the 
necessity  of  obtaining  intelligence  betimes  about  the 
country  north  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  how  guides, 
hunters,  and  interpreters  could  be  obtained,  determined 
him  to  set  out  with  Back  and  Hepburn  to  the  Athabasca 
Lake,  leaving  Richardson  and  Hood  till  the  spring  at 
Cumberland  House. 

It  was  d..xiiig  his  stay  at  Cumberland  House  that 
Dr.  Richardson  collected  some  curious  statistics  about 
the  Cree  Indians.  For  instance,  they  have  a  tradition 
of  a  deluge  caused  by  an  attempt  of  the  i<sh  to  drown 
a  demigod  with  whom  they  had  quarrelled.  He  built 
a  raft,  and  embarked  with  his  family  and  all  kinds  of 
birds  and  beasts.  After  the  flood  had  lasted  for  some 
time,  he  ordered  several  water-fowl  to  dive  to  the 
bottom.  They  were  drowned ;  but  a  musk  rat  brought 
back  a  mouthful  of  mud,  out  of  which  the  new  earth 
was  formed.  Of  many  of  their  habits  and  superstitions 
Dr.  Richardson  had  ocular  evidence.  In  1819,  a 
conjuror  came  to  the  fort,  who  preyed  upon  the  terrors 
of  the  poor  Indians,  and,  among  other  boasts,  declared 


An  Indian  Davenport. 


35 


that,  if  tied  up  ever  so  fast  in  his  conjuring-liouse,  he 
would,  with  the  lielp  of  two  or  three  familiar  spirits, 
set  himself  free.  He  was  promised  a  greatcoat  if  he 
succeeded,  and  Governor  Williams,  an  expert  sailor, 
tied  the  knots.  A  moose-skin  was  thrown  over  a  frame 
made  of  four  willow  sticks  stuck  in  the  ground,  with 
the  tops  tied  together,  and  in  it  the  "  God-like "  man 
was  placed.  For  an  hour  and  a-half  nothing  was  heard 
but  the  conjuror's  monotonous  chant,  chorussed  by  the 
Indians  outside.  Then  the  structure  shook  violently, 
and  the  believers  whispered  that  "  one  devil  had  crept 
under  the  moose-skin."  But  it  v/as  only  the  God-like 
man  trembling  with  cold.  He  had  entered  the  lists 
stript  to  the  skin,  and  that  evening  the  thermometer 
stood  very  low.  For  half-an-hour  longer  he  held  out, 
and  then  owned  he  was  beaten.  His  countrymen, 
whose  careless  fastenings  he  had  easily  unloosed, 
ceased  to  put  faith  in  him,  and  this  Cree  Davenport 
sneaked  away  from  the  fort  in  disgrace. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

franklin's  first  expedition — CONTINUED. 

Di-pavture  from  Cumberland  House — Snow  Shoes — Lack  of  Provisions 
— Ccllection  of  Stores,  Boats,  Guides,  &c. — Fort  Providence — Visit 
of  Akaitcho — His  Proceedings — Preliminary  Excursions  to  the 
Coppermine  River — The  Cold — News  from  Home — Misconduct  of 
Weeks — Winter  Occupations — Back's  Visit  to  Fort  Providence. 

FEANKLIN,  Back,  and  Hepburn  set  out  from 
Cumberland  House  on  the  18th  of  January,  1820. 
They  were  bound  for  Carlton  House  first,  and  Fort 
Chipewyan  finally,  and  their  object  was  to  procure 
guides,  hunters,  interpreters,  provisions,  and  intelligence, 
for  the  journey  to  the  sea.  They  started  with  two 
carioles  and  two  sledges,  the  drivers  and  dogs  of  which 
were  supplied  in  equal  proportions  by  the  two  com- 
panies. Fifteen  days*  provisions  so  filled  the  sledges 
that  the  dog-drivers  gruiutled  bitterly  at  the  way  their 
teams  were  overloaded.  A  sledge  drawn  by  three 
dogs  weighs  about  thirty  pounds,  and  carries  a  load  of 
300  pounds  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  a-day.  Four 
Hudson's  Fay  sledges  kept  them  company  to  the  second 
stage,  and  they  proceeded  on  the  frozen  river  in  Indian 


1 


yourney  from  Cumberland  House.        37 

file,  foDiiing  quite  a  procession.  The  journey  from 
(Jiuuberland  House,  though  made  in  winter,  seonis  to 
liave  been  far  pleasanter  than  that  from  York  F.ictory. 
It  was  indeed  bitterly  cold,  so  cold  that  the  mercury  of 
the  thermometers  froze,  and  it  was  necessary  at  times 
to  keep  rubbing  the  face  to  prevent  frostbite.  The  tea 
at  night  would  freeze  before  it  could  be  drunk,  and 
even  spirits  and  water  became  half  congealed.  Walking 
in  snow  shoes  was  also  a  serious  hardship.  Experts  in 
such  travelling  go  at  a  great  pace,  but  the  novice,  with 
a  weight  of  between  two  and  three  pounds  attached  to 
his  galled  and  aching  feet,  must  either  keep  pace  with 
his  comrades  or  be  left  behind,  for  they  will  not  wait. 
The  cruelties  of  the  drivers  to  the  dogs  were  another 
constant  source  of  annoyance  to  the  Englishmen  of  the 
party.  On  the  other  hand,  when  they  could  ride, 
wrapped  up  in  the  carioles,  through  splendid  scenery, 
which  at  times  resembled  that  of  a  well-kept  park,  with 
high  hill-ranges  in  sight,  from  which  numerous  rills  fed 
the  river  running  through  the  wide  intervening  plain, 
the  journey  was  delightful,  and  the  day's  toil  served 
only  to  give  zest  to  the  evening's  chat  round  the  tent 
lire,  when  the  Canadians  were  always  cheery,  however 
brutal  to  the  dogs  they  might  have  been  by  day. 

On  the  31st  they  reached  Carlton  House,  where  Mr. 
I'rudens,  the  official  in  charge,  regaled  them  with 
buffalo  steaks,  which  a  long  course  of  pemmican  made 
more    than    ordinarily   delicious.      Then   the    clothes 


,yj|f^lfRl«lll(,fA*l»»W.IJ,«'»i"!l!|f)P,.ff.wWki^Wi,Pi,'Ji«i. 


38 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


which  for  fourteen  days  had  not  been  taken  off  were 
exclianged  for  others,  and  the  tired  travellers  proceeded 
to  rest  for  nine  days,  in  order  to  recover  from  the  pains 
and  swellings  of  their  feet.  Franklin  himself  was,  from 
this  cause,  at  first  kept  a  prisoner  to  the  house.  Carlton 
House  is  a  provision  depot,  not  a  fur  store,  and  the 
meat  procured  from  Indians  in  winter  is  converted  there 
into  pemmican  for  the  support  of  the  officials  of  the 
Company  travelling  to  and  from  the  various  posts. 

On  the  9th  of  February  they  left  Carlton  House,  and, 
reacliing  posts  of  the  two  Companies  on  the  16th,  were 
informed  by  Mr.  Cameron,  the  superintendent  of  one  of 
tliem,  that  provisions  would  probably  be  scarce  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  about  Athabasca,  owing  to  the  sickness  of 
the  Indians  in  the  hunting  season.  At  Franklin's  request 
he  undertook  to  forward  supplies  of  pemmican  to  Isle  a 
la  Crosse  during  the  winter,  which  Eichardson  and  Hood 
were  ordered  by  letter  to  bring  with  them  wlien  they 
passed.  On  the  23rd,  Franklin  found  at  Isle  k  la  Crosse 
the  letters  he  had  forw..x-ded  to  the  Athabasca  officials 
from  Cumberland  House  in  November,  a  fact  wliich 
showed  him  he  had  been  right  in  coming  to  look  after 
matters  in  person.  Mr.  Bethune  of  the  North-West, 
and  Mr.  Clark  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  eng.iged 
to  procure  pemmican  to  be  brought  on  by  Eicharcison 
in  the  spring,  and  Mr.  Clark  gave  them  many  useful 
hints  for  travelling  and  escorted  them  himself  to  the 
boundary   of  his   department.     It  receives   its   name 


Alarming  News, 


39 


from  an  island  on  the  lake  where  the  Indians  used  to 
play  the  game  lately  introduced  into  London,  and  called 
La  Crosse.  From  none  of  the  superintendents  of  the 
various  departments,  nor  from  the  Indians  they  had 
met,  could  any  intelligence  be  gained  about  the  country 
beyond  Lake  Athabasca. 

When  they  reached  Pierre  au  Calumet,  Mr.  John 
Stuart,  the  senior  partner  of  the  North-West  Company, 
told  them  that  information  could  be  gained  from  the 
Indians  who  frequent  the  north  of  the  lake  in  spring, 
when  they  visit  the  forts,  but  not  before,  and  recom- 
mended Franklin  to  send  letters  to  the  Great  Slave 
Lake  j)osts  asking  for  intelligence,  and  that  guides 
should  be  engaged  in  advance.  He  also  communicated 
some  alarming  news — viz.,  that  it  would  be  very  hard 
to  prevail  on  any  Canadian  voyagers  to  accompany  the 
expedition  to  the  sea,  owing  to  their  dread  of  the 
Esquimaux ;  and  that,  in  consequence  of  the  sickness 
which  had  prevailed  among  the  Indian  hunters,  the 
residents  at  F©rt  Chipewyan  had  been  reduced  to  live 
entirely  on  the  fish  they  caught  in  their  nets.  This 
famine-note,  audible  from  the  very  outset,  was  already 
growing  louder,  and  ominously  preluded  the  day  when 
death  and  disaster  were  heralded  to  the  expedition  by 
its  imperious  and  appalling  tones.  Franklin,  however, 
thought  it  necessary  to  proceed  at  once  to  Fort  Chipe- 
wyan, where  he  arrived  on  March  26th,  after  a  journey 
from  Cumberland  House  of  257  miles.    At  Fort  Chipe- 


40 


Sir  yo/in  Franklin, 


wyan,  Beaulieu,  one  of  the  North-West  Company's 
lialf-breed  interpreters,  gave  some  information  as  to  the 
route  to  the  Coppermine  Eiver,  and  an  Indian  named 
Elack  Meat  drew  with  charcoal  on  the  floor  a  rough* 
delineation  of  the  coast.  Franklin  immediately  wrote 
to  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  McVicar,  the  officials  of  the  two 
Companies  at  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  soliciting  their 
assistance  in  other  respects,  and  especially  asking  them 
to  explain  the  objects  of  his  visit  to  the  Copper  Indians, 
and  to  procure  from  them  hunters  and  guides.  He  also 
had  a  useful  conversation  with  Mr.  Dease,  himself 
afterwards  a  notable  explorer,  who  had  lately  come 
from  his  station  at  the  Athabasca  Lake,  and  with  an 
old  Indian  who,  when  a  boy,  had  accompauied  Hearne 
to  the  sea.  The  agents  of  the  two  Companies  were  at 
this  season  bringing  to  Fort  Chipewyan  their  winter's 
collection  of  furs,  and  Franklin,  perceiving  the  rivalry 
and  hostility  that  existed  between  them,  invited 
members  of  each  to  meet  him  in  a  tent  which  he 
pitched  apart  from  each  establishment,  and  after 
putting  a  series  of  previously  prepared  questions  to 
them,  made  a  requisition  on  each  Company  for  eight 
men  and  such  stores  as  it  could  spare. 

The  stores  the  Companies  could  give  were  small, 
for  they  had  been  lavishly  expending  them  in  their 
opposition  tactics,  and  the  men  held  back,  demanding 
higher  wages  than  could  be  afforded.  But,  happily,  at 
this  juncture  Mr.  Smith  came  from  the  Great  Sln-^-^ 


./.. 


Acquisitions  for  the  journey. 


41 


Lake,  announcing  that  Akaitclio,  the  leading  Chief  of 
the  Copper  Indians,  was  thorouglily  favourable  to  the 
expedition,  and  that  at  the  instigation  of  Mr.  Weutzel, 
a  North- West  Company's  clerk  whom  they  wished  to 
accompany  them,  he  and  some  of  his  men  were  ready 
to  join  it  as  hunters  and  guides,  and  would  await  its 
coming  at  Fort  Providence,  to  the  north  of  the  Slave 
Lake.  This  altered  the  tone  of  the  Canadian  voyagers, 
and  that  night  two  of  them  volunteered  their  services, 
which  were  accepted.  Franklin's  great  anxiety  now 
was  to  obtain  a  good  stock  of  provisions.  The  furs 
which  had  been  brought  to  the  Fort  were  beinjj 
despatched  daily  to  the  different  depots  in  canoes; 
the  assemblage  of  officials  was  dispersing,  each  taking 
with  him  a  supply  of  food  from  the  Fort ;  and  so  small 
was  the  stock  in  hand,  that  Mr.  Smith,  now  in  charge 
of  the  post,  said  that  whereas  there  had  been  40,000 
pounds  of  meat  after  the  despatch  of  the  canoes  in  the 
previous  year,  this  year  there  would  only  be  500. 
Franklin  therefore  wrote  urgently  to  Dr.  Richardson 
to  bring  all  he  could  possibly  collect.  Meanwhile,  he 
received  from  Mr.  Smith  the  acceptable  present  of  a 
bark  canoe  32  feet  6  inches  long,  1  foot  11 J  inches 
deep,  and  in  the  middle  4  feet  10  inches  broad.  Such 
a  vessel  will  carry  a  load  of  3,300  pounds  in  weight. 
It  weighs  about  300  pounds  itself,  but  the  bowman  and 
steersman,  on  whose  skill  its  safety  in  rapids  depends, 
often  run  with  it  at  a  portage. 


42 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


On  July  13th,  Dr.  Richardson  and  Hood  rejoined 
the  party.  All  that  men  could  do  they  had  done  ;  but 
after  Franklin's  wise  forethought  and  incessant  efforts 
to  collect  provisions,  the  tidings  they  brought  must 
have  been  a  bitter  disappointment.  Ten  bags  of  pem- 
mican,  which  they  had  procured  at  Isle  h,  la  Crosse 
from  the  North-West  Company,  turned  out  to  be 
mouldy,  and  had  to  be  left  behind.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
post  furnished  none,  for  its  voyagers,  being  provisionless 
themselves,  had  eaten  the  stores  destined  for  Franklin. 
In  short,  Richardson  arrived  with  only  one  day's 
supply  of  this  essential  article.  The  start,  however, 
could  not  be  delayed,  for  Fort  Chipewyan  could  no 
longer  provision  its  visitors.  All  that  could  be  done 
was  to  obtain  such  stores  as  could  be  spared, 
including  some  small  stock  of  clothing  for  the  men 
engaged  there  and  for  presents  to  the  Indians :  and 
though  unable  to  procure  additional  ammunition  or 
spirits,  and  but  little  tobacco,  Franklin  made  his  final 
arrangements  for  setting  out. 

Mr.  Hood  had  brought  with  him  from  Cumberland 
House  ten  Canadians,  and  as  the  men  who  had  come 
from  Stromness  showed  no  zeal  for  the  service,  they 
were  dismissed,  and  Franklin  left  Fort  Chipewyan  with 
sixteen  Canadians,  one  Indian  woman,  Hepburn,  and 
the  three  officers.  Mr.  Smith  had  only  been  able  to  give 
him  seventy  pounds  of  moose  meat  and  a  little  barley. 
Besides  this,  he  had  pemmican  for  one  day's  consump- 


MP 


Moose  Deey  Island  reached. 


43 


tion  and  two  barrels  of  flour,  three  cases  of  preserved 
meat,  some  chocolate,  arrowroot,  and  portable  soup, 
which  he  had  brought  from  Kngland,  and  intended  to 
reserve  for  the  journey  to  the  coast  in  the  following 
season.  The  Canadians,  however,  after  a  drain,  set 
out  in  high  spirits  to  a  lively  paddling  song,  evincing 
then,  as  always  afterwards,  an  improvident  inatten- 
tion to  anything  but  the  circumstances  of  the 
hour. 

And  now  began  once  more  the  old  experiences  of 
rivers,  lakes,  and  portages,  the  details  of  which  are  too 
familiar  to  be  described  again. 

The  Slave  River,  connecting  Lake  Athabasca,  which 
the  party  was  leaving,  with  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  for 
which  they  were  making,  is  a  magnificent  sheet  of 
water  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  Down  this  they 
went  with  great  rapidity,  till  they  reached  Moose 
Deer  Island,  on  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  having  suffered 
no  other  mishap  than  the  breaking  of  a  canoe,  but 
tormented  for  a  time  by  mosquitoes.  Swarms  of 
these  appeared  after  a  thunderstorm  which  caused 
the  river  to  overflow  its  banks  and  flood  their  night 
encampment.  At  the  island — which  is  2G0  miles  by 
the  river-course  from  Fort  Cin'pewyan — letters  were 
found  from  Mr.  Wentzel,  stating  that,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  an  Indian  guide  was 
waiting  at  Fort  Providence.  Franklin  also  engaged 
Pierre  St.  Germain  as  an  interpreter  for  the  Copper 


i..-f^yifl"jff,«iiiSJi  JHl^wji  W,!.,!l"," 'i  *T '  ■  V'T  !" 


jif«wii|m; 


'■WH^JWW'S 


44 


5'/r  y^/^;^  Franklin, 


Indians,  and  obtained  from  the  two  Companies  a  gun, 
a  pair  of  pistols,  and  550  pounds  of  meat. 

Eesuniing  the  voyage,  the  party  crossed  the  lake, 
and  reached  Fort  Providence  on  the  28th  of  July.  At 
this  post  of  the  North- Western  Company  tliey  found 
Mr.  Wentzel,  the  interpreter,  Jean  Baptiste  Adam, 
and  some  Indian  guides,  and  fire-signals  brought  a 
messenger  from  Akaitcho  announcing  that  he  would 
visit  Franklin  next  morning.  Mr.  Wentzel  imparted 
all  the  information  he  had  gathered  from  the  Indians, 
and,  as  he  spoke  their  language,  promised  to  be  very 
useful.  His  duties  were  to  be  the  management  of  the 
Indians,  the  superintendence  of  the  Canadians,  and  the 
distribution  of  the  stores. 

Akaitcho's  visit  was  prepared  for  with  much  cere- 
monv.  Each  officer  dressed  himself  in  uniform,  and 
wore  a  medal,  and  a  silken  Union  Jack  was  hoisted 
over  one  of  the  tents.  About  noon  a  procession  of 
canoes  appeared,  Akaitcho  in  the  foremost  paddled  by 
two  men.  With  grave  face  and  dignified  step  he  walked 
past  the  spectators  on  the  beach,  looking  neither  to  the 
right  nor  the  left  till  he  reached  the  tent.  There, 
having  smoked  a  pipe  and  drunk  a  glass  of  spirits  and 
water,  he  made  an  harangue,  saying  how  glad  he  was 
to  see  such  great  chiefs,  but  that  he  was  disappointed 
at  finding  they  had  not,  as  he  had  been  led  to  expect, 
brought  with  them  a  medicine  man  who  could  raise 
the  dead,  for  he  felt  as  if  the  friends  he  had  hoped  to 


,■»!..   —-I  ■«,-;«^-."iP7,;>;«ji»-%'»' 


Co7tference  with  the  Indians, 


45 


see  had  been  torn  from  him  again ;  and  that  he  wished 
to  know  the  precise  objects  of  the  expedition.  Franklin 
made  a  polite  reply,  to  the  effect  that  he  was  searching 
for  a  passage  which  would  enable  the  great  Chief  he 
served  to  send  abundance  of  stores  by  sea  for  tlie 
Indians,  that  this  Chief  wished  the  Esquimaux  and 
Indians  to  be  at  peace,  and  that,  though  his  stores  were 
at  present  small,  he  would  reward  the  Indians'  service 
with  a  present  now,  with  another  on  his  return,  and 
with  a  discharge  of  their  debts  to  the  North-West 
Company. 

It  appeared  that  none  of  the  Indians  knew  the  coast 
for  more  than  three  days'  march  east  of  the  Copper- 
mine River's  mouth,  and  they  recommended  a  different 
route  from  that  which  Franklin  had  proposed,  on  the 
ground  that  reindeer  would  be  more  plentiful  there. 
Twenty-five  lakes,  half  of  them  connected  by  a  river 
flowing  into  the  Slave  Lake,  would,  they  said,  lead  to 
the  Coppermine  River,  and  they  pointed  out  a  lake 
south  of  that  river,  which,  having  plenty  of  wood  and 
fish,  would  be  a  good  place  for  the  winter's  encamp- 
ment. This  lake,  they  thought,  might  be  reached  in 
about  twenty  days.  Though  shorter  in  distance,  the 
route  thus  proposed  was  a  more  difficult  one  than  that 
down  the  Mackenzie  River  and  across  Great  Bear  Lake, 
which  Franklin  had  first  intended  to  take ;  but  besides 
the  reasons  given  by  the  Indians,  he  did  not  like  to 
move  too  far  from  the  Great  Slave  Lake  depots,  whence 


I 


46 


Sir  yohn  Fra7tklifu 


lie  hoped  to  get  ammunition  in  the  winter.  So  he 
accepted  Akaitcho's  suggestion,  placed  a  medal  round 
his  neck,  and  the  next  day  welcomed  liim  to  a  dance, 
where  the  movements  of  the  dancers  threw  him  into 
fits  of  laughter. 

On  the  1st  of  August  the  Indians  went  ahead, 
intending  to  wait  for  the  expedition  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Yellow  Knife  Eiver.  Franklin's  party  remained 
behind  to  pack  up  the  stores  unseen  by  them,  as  they 
would  have  begged  for  everything  they  saw.  Two 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  a  Imndred  and  forty  pounds  of 
ball  and  small  shot,  and  food  for  ten  days'  consumption 
were  the  main  stores  contained  by  their  three  canoes, 
and  the  whole  company  were  thirty-one,  including 
three  women  and  two  children.  Besides  Franklin, 
Eichardson,  Bade,  Hood,  Wentzel,  and  Hepburu,  tliere 
vv^ere  eighteen  Canadian  voyagers — Peltier,  Credit, 
Solomon  Belanger.  Jean  Baptiste  Belanger,  Bennoit, 
Gagn(5,  Dumas,  Forcier,  Perrault,  Samandr^  Beaupar- 
lant,  Fontano,  Vaillaut,  Parent,  Belleau,  Cournoyde, 
and  Michel,  an  Iroquois,  with  two  Chipewyan  hois 
hniMs,  or  motifs — that  is  to  say,  the  children  of  the 
companies*  agents  and  Indian  or  half-breed  wives. 
These  men  acted  as  interpreters,  and  their  nam^s  were 
Adam  and  St.  Germain. 

In  high  spirits  at  entering  at  last  on  the  grand  object 
of  the  whole  expedition,  and  on  a  region  unvisited 
hitherto  by  any  European,  they  set  out  northwards 


".f","'  '("^^"T^'.'V  ','^-  '-"'■-■■•/•-ijr-.v-- 


A  Mutiny  quelled. 


47 


along  the  eastern  side  of  a  deep  bay  of  the  lake.  It 
was  the  2nd  of  August,  and  next  day  they  met 
Akaitcho  at  the  Yellow  Knife  Eiver,  up  which  they 
paddled,  Akaitcho  soon  sinking  the  dignity  which  at 
first  he  thought  it  proper  to  maintain,  and  sharing  the 
work  with  the  rest.  Four  days  later  the  provisions 
were  well  nigh  exhausted,  with  the  exception  of  the 
portable  soup  and  preserved  meats,  and  frequent 
portages  exhausted  the  men.  The  Canadians  broke 
out  into  open  murmurs,  and  threatened  to  return  unless 
given  more  food.  But  Franklin's  firmness  in  threaten- 
ing instant  punishment  for  insubordination  overawed 
them,  and  when  two  reindeer  were  brought  in  by  the 
hunters,  they  forgot  all  their  cares.  Plenty  of  meat 
was  afterwards  procured  for  daily  consumption,  and 
without  further  adventures  they  reached  the  site  for 
the  winter  encampment,  which  proved  to  be  not  only 
convenient,  but  picture?  |ue.  The  portages  crossed  were 
twenty-one  miles  in  length  altogether.  Each  had  to 
be  crossed  seven  times,  four  times  with  a  load  of  180 
pounds,  so  that  the  men  had  to  walk  150  miles  instead 
of  twenty-one.  The  total  distance  from  Chipewyan 
was  553  miles. 

Next  morning,  August  21st,  they  set  about  collecting 
meat  and  materials  for  a  house,  while  an  Indian  was 
sent  to  summon  Akaitcho.  He,  when  he  came,  brought 
only  fifteen  reindeer,  and,  what  was  far  more  gallirg  to 
Franklin,  refused  to  accompany  him  in  the  descen';  of 


ll'l 


I 


48 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


the  Coppermine  Eiver,  prophesying  for  the  party  death 
from  cold  or  starvation  if  his  advice  was  disregarded. 
At  last,  after  much  parley,  he  said,  "  Well,  I  have  said 
all  I  can  urge  to  dissuade  you  from  going  on  this 
service,  on  which  it  seems  you  wish  to  sacrifice  your 
own  lives  as  well  as  the  Indians  who  might  attend 
you ;  however,  if,  after  all  I  have  said,  you  are  deter- 
mined to  go,  some  of  my  young  men  shall  join  the 
party,  because  it  shall  not  be  said  that  we  permitted 
you  to  die  alone  after  having  brought  you  hither;  but 
from  the  moment  they  embark  in  the  canoes,  I  and  my 
relatives  shall  lament  them  as  dead."  In  consequence 
of  this  conversation,  and  hearing  that  the  chief  was 
meditating  a  return  to  Fort  Providence,  Franklin 
reluctantly  gave  up  the  idea  of  descending  the  Copper- 
mine River  for  that  season.  But  he  determined  to 
send  Back  and  Hood  to  reconnoitre  it  in  a  light  canoe, 
and  they  set  out  on  the  29th. 

On  September  4th  the  building  of  the  house  was 
begun,  and  as  the  hunting  parties  were  organised,  and 
all  in  train  for  tlie  winter's  sojourn,  Franklin,  Richard- 
son, and  Hepburn,  with  Samandr^  and  one  Indian, 
Keskarrah,  as  guide,  started  on  foot  to  visit  the  river. 
At  night  they  gathered  some  pine  brush,  and,  though 
the  thermometer  stood  at  29°,  slept  soundly,  with  only 
one  blanket  to  cover  them.  They  did  not,  however, 
undress.  Old  Keskarrah,  on  the  contrary,  stripped 
himself  to  the  skin,  and  after  toasting  himself  over  the 


Fort  Enterprise. 


49 


fire,  crept  into  his  heap  of  deerskins,  and  instantly  fell 
asleep.  This  is  the  custom  of  all  the  Indian  tribes, 
even  when  lying  in  the  open  air.  On  the  12th  they 
reached  the  Coppermine  Eiver,  and  were  glad  to  see 
that  plenty  of  spruce  trees  grew  near  its  course.  On 
the  15th  they  regained  Fort  Enterprise — for  that  was 
the  name  given  to  the  house  that  was  being  built — and 
found  that  Back  and  Hood  had  arrived  there  before 
them.  Their  men  had  behaved  extremely  well  under 
severe  hardships,  being  generally  obliged  to  lie  down 
in  their  wet  clothes,  with  only  just  fuel  enough  to  boil 
a  kettle.  Including  these  journeys,  the  total  distance 
travelled  by  the  expedition  in  1820  was  1,520  miles 
up  to  the  time  of  its  taking  up  its  quarters  at  Fort 
Enterprise. 

On  first  taking  up  their  residence  in  the  house,  they 
had  to  eat,  sit,  and  sleep  upon  the  floor.  But  every 
day  some  table  or  chair  or  bedstead  was  added  to  their 
comforts.  The  men  were  set  to  work  to  build  another 
house,  34  feet  long  and  18  wide,  for  themselves,  and 
the  carcases  of  100  deer,  with  1,000  pounds  of  suet 
and  some  dried  meat,  were  placed  in  the  storehouse. 
Eighty  deer  were  lying  en  cache  at  various  distances 
away. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  Back  and  Wentzel  set  out 
for  Fort  Providence  to   arrange  for  transporting  the 
expected  stores  from  Fort  Cumberland,  and  to  obtain, 
additional  supplies.     If  the  stores  had  not  come.  Back 


50 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


was,  if  he  could,  to  go  on  to  Fort  Chipowyan,  for  the 
want  of  ammunition  and  tobacco  was  becoming  a 
pressing  necessity,  without  which  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  ensure  the  Indians'  friendship  or  the  Canadians' 
cheerfulness.  Akaitcho  and  his  party  came  in  on  the 
26th,  the  reindeer  season  being  over.  They  made  a 
merit  of  asking  for  ammunition,  knowing  there  was 
none  to  give  them,  though  they  might  have  been 
netting  fish  or  snaring  birds,  as  they  ordinarily  do. 
Their  arrival  was  a  serious  drain  on  the  stock  of  pro- 
visions. By-and-by,  too,  the  fish  failed,  and  fishing 
was  given  up  on  November  5th.  Altogether,  1,250 
white  fish  of  two  or  three  pounds  each  had  been  caught 
up  till  then.  Latterly  the  fish  froze  as  they  were 
taken  out  of  the  nets.  In  a  short  time  they  became  a 
solid  mass  of  ice,  and  were  easily  split  by  a  blow  of  a 
hatchet,  when  the  intestines  could  be  removed  in  one 
lump.  If  in  this  frozen  state  they  were  thawed  before 
a  fire,  they  recovered  their  animation. 

The  return  of  Back  was  eagerly  expected,  and  the 
Indians  were  full  of  forebodings  at  his  non-appearance. 
At  last,  on  November  23rd,  Belanger,  one  of  his  party, 
appeared,  covered  with  ice  from  head  to  foot,  and 
scarcely  recognisable,  having  walked  for  thirty-six 
hours  at  a  stretch,  la  a  moment  his  packet  was 
opened,  and  letters  and  newspapers  from  England,  the 
Jatest  dating  from  April,  were  being  eagerly  devoured. 
George  III.'s  death  and  George  IV.'s  accession  were  kept 


''ft 


Bad  Conduct  of  Mr.  Weeks, 


51 


secret  from  the  Indians,  lest  they  should  tliink  Franklin 
would  now  be  unable  to  fulfil  the  promises  which  he 
had  made  in  the  former's  name. 

Belanger  brought  bad  news  about  the  stores.  After 
a  squabble  with  a  North-West  Company's  man  as  to 
the  share  he  should  take  in  carrying  these  stores,  tlio 
Hudson's  Bay  official  in  charge  of  them  liad  actually 
left  the  tobacco  and  ammunition  on  the  beach  at  the 
Grand  Rapid  on  the  Saskatchawan  River.  Nor  was 
this,  to  them  most  dire  loss,  all ;  Belanger's  companions, 
the  Indians,  reported  to  Akaitcho  that  Mr.  Weeks,  the 
official  in  charge  at  Fort  Providence,  had  been  spreading 
it  about  that  Franklin  and  his  party  were  not  officers 
of  a  great  king,  but  poor  wretches  trying  to  subsist 
on  the  plenty  of  the  Copper  Indians.  Akaitcho 
sensibly  came  straight  to  Franklin,  and  seemed 
satisfied  with  his  explanation ;  but  Back  also  by  letter 
reported  the  allegation  of  Weeks — that  he  had  been 
desired  not  to  assist  the  expedition — and  the  unfriend- 
liness of  the  tribes  :  and  in  the  end,  this  shameful 
misconduct  of  an  obscure  Jack-in-office  was  destined 
to  affect  fatally  the  fortunes  of  the  expedition. 

The  Indians  were,  however,  much  cheered  at  hearing 
that  two  Esquimaux  interpreters  were  at  the  Slave 
Lake  on  their  way  to  join  the  party;  and  Franklin, 
giving  them  one  hundred  balls,  which  Belanger  had 
brought  from  Fort  Providence,-  at  last,  on  the  10th 
of  December,  induced  them  to  betake  themselves  to 


i 


,^ 


^2 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


flM  '   « 


other  quarters,  and  so  relieve  his  storehouse  of  the 
alarming  drain  on  its  contents.  Previously,  he  had  sent 
St.  Germain,  bearing  strongly-worded  requests  to  the 
officials  at  Moose  Deer  Island  and  Chipewyan,  to  furnish 
Ikck  with  stores.  St.  Germain  also  carrie  I  a  bundle  of 
broken  axes  to  be  repaired.  For  thougli  the  Indians 
called  it  a  warm  winter,  the  cold  liad  now  grown 
intense.  The  trees  froze  to  their  centres,  and  became 
as  hard  as  stones,  so  that  the  axes  were  daily  broken 
in  cutting  them.  A  thermometer  in  the  bedroom, 
sixteen  feet  from  the  fire,  stood  occasionally  at  15° 
below  zero,  even  when  exposed  to  tlie  fire's  direct 
radiation,  and  before  it  was  lighted  fell  more  than  once 
to  40°  below  zero.  Once  it  sank  to  59"  below  zero. 
Luckily,  however,  the  weather  was  calm  ;  and  it  has 
been  the  experience  of  all  Arctic  travellers,  that  intense 
cold  is  perfectly  endurable  so  long  as  there  is  no  wind. 
The  woodcutters  did  not  use  any  defence  for  their  faces 
even  while  at  their  work. 

The  little  party  found  plenty  to  do  in  the  cold,  dark 
winter,  when  even  the  resplendent  beauty  of  the  moon, 
which  for  many  days  hardly  disappeared  below  the 
horizon,  and  the  brilliant  aurora,  which  lit  up  the 
heavens  for  twenty-eight  days  in  December,  could  not 
make  up  for  want  of  sunlight,  a  modicum  of  which  they 
enjoyed  only  from  half-past  eleven  a.m.  to  half-past 
two  p.m.  Hood  drew  a  portrait  of  Keskarrah's 
daughter,   Green    Stockings,   the   belle   of    her    tribe, 


Winter  Occupations, 


\ 


53 


against  the  wishes  of  her  mother,  who  feared  King 
Geome  mij'ht  be  so  fascinated  as  to  send  for  the 
original  of  tlie  picture  ;  but  tlie  young  lady  herself  was 
anything  but  displeased.  Indeed,  though  under  sixteen 
years  old,  she  had  already  been  married  twice,  and  no 
doubt  regarded  the  prospect  wh'ch  her  mother  feared 
with  more  than  composure. 

Willi  such  and  other  occupations — map-making, 
soap-making,  candle-making,  botanising,  observations 
of  the  aurora,  writing  of  journals,  readings,  and  games — 
the  year  1820  came  to  an  end.  Ileindeer-meat  and  tea 
formed  the  daily  subsistence  of  the  party,  varied  by 
lish  twice  a-\veek  and  chocolate  on  Sundays ;  but  they 
had  no  vegetables,  and  but  little  flour.  Every  voyager 
in  these  countries,  when  en  route,  strains  every  nerve  to 
reach  a  post  before  New  Year's  Day,  that  he  may  share 
its  merriment  and  good  cheer.  Eagerly,  therefore,  did 
Franklin  watch  for  the  return  of  his  messengers  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1821.  But  they  did  not  arrive  till 
the  15th.  They  brought  some  rum,  ammunition,  and 
tobacco,  but  the  Indians  had  broached  one  cask,  and 
spent  two  days  in  drinking,  and  Franklin,  though  dis- 
tressed at  this  proof  of  their  untrust worthiness,  felt 
constrained  to  accept  their  artful  apology  that  they  only 
meant  to  take  the  New  Year's  present  which  he  could 
not  give  them.  Tlie  rum,  which  was  proof,  was  frozen, 
and,  even  after  being  before  the  fire  for  some  time,  was 
as  thick  as  honey.      The  fingers,  when  applied  to  a 


ii 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


glass  of  it,  adhered,  and  would  soon  have  frozen,  but 
each  voyager  tossed  off  his  dram  without  any  com- 
plaint of  toothache. 

On  the  27th,  Wentzel  and  St.  Germain  returned,  with 
four  dogs  and  the  two  Esquimaux,  who  had  been 
called  by  the  Englfsh  Augustus  and  Junius.  Back, 
they  said,  had  discharged  one  of  the  men,  Belleau,  and 
proceeded  to  Chipewyan. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  Akaitcho  sent  for  more 
ammunition,  complaining  that  he  was  degraded  in  the 
eyes  of  his  tribe  by  being  supplied  so  scantily,  and 
alluding  to  fresh  unpleasant  reports  circulated  at 
Fort  Providence,  and  to  Weeks  havin'^  refused  to  cash 
some  small  notes  given  to  the  Indian  hunters  by 
Franklin.  Some  powder  and  shot,  some  diluted 
spirits,  and  some  unmixed  expressions  of  regard  were 
sent  to  the  irate  chief,  who,  however,  being  a  remark- 
ably shrewd  man,  calculated,  perhaps,  that  a  petitioner 
poses  sometimes  most  efficaciously  in  the  attitude  of  an 
aggrieved  person,  and  may  have  used  the  mean  lies  of 
the  miserable  concocter  rather  than  believed  them. 

He  was,  indeed,  always  practical  and  prudent,  even 
in  speculative  matters.  He  would  not,  for  instance, 
say  what  his  own  notions  of  a  future  state  were,  but 
was  quite  willing  to  attend  the  Christian  worship, 
and  to  learn  what  it  meant;  whereas  conceited  old 
Keskarrah  openly  avowed  his  scepticism,  beginning 
one  of  his  speeches  with  the  words,  "  It  is  very  strange 


Back's  Return, 


156 


that  I  never  meet  with  anyone  wlio  is  equal  in  sense  to 
myself."  That  Weeks  had  spread  reports  was  sub- 
sequently proved,  and  the  only  defence  he  seems  to 
have  made  was,  that  Franklin's  party  lowered  his 
Company  in  the  eyes  of  the  traders,  so  that  he  was  only 
acting  in  the  Company's  interests  as  a  retort.  But  now 
he  sent  by  Franklin's  messenger,  who  came  back  from 
the  great  Slave  Lake  on  the  5th  of  March,  a  denial  of 
having  spread  any  reports.  When  such  a  miscreant 
was  at  work,  Akaitcho  might  plausibly  pretend  to  be 
suspicious. 

On  the  12th  of  March  four  more  men  were  sent  on  a 
mission  to  Fort  Providence,  and  on  the  17th  Back 
returned,  after  a  marvellous  journey,  which  could  only 
have  been  performed  by  a  mlan  of  dauntless  courage 
and  iron  strength.  Back,  it  will  be  remembered,  set 
out  on  the  18th  of  October  for  Fort  Providence,  with 
Wentzel,  some  Indians,  and  two  Indian  women,  who 
behaved  very  well  on  the  journey.  Provisions  ran 
short,  and,  thinking  him  badly  off,  one  of  them  gave 
him  a  pike  she  caught,  and  refused  to  share  it,  saying, 
"We  are  accustomed  to  starvation,  but  you  are  not." 
■One  of  the  Indian  men  behaved  in  the  same  way,  but 
was  at  last  induced  to  share  the  present  he  had  made. 
The  walking  was  very  toilsome,  over  snow,  through 
v/hich  they  constantly  fell,  among  broken  wood  and 
loose  stones,  and  once  up  a  towering  rock.  Hunger 
made  such  toils  the  more  insupportable,  and  they  were 


56 


Sir  yohi  Franklin, 


reduced  to  feed  on  trijpe  de  roche — a  lichen  scraped  from 
the  rocks,  which  we  now  hear  ot*  for  the  first  time  in 
the  annals  of  the  expedition^  but  which  subse- 
quently becomes  so  dismally  frequent.  An  unexpected 
"luxury,"  which  they  much  relished,  was  given 
them  by  one  of  the  women,  who  scraped  from  an 
old  skin  some  relics  of  fat,  mixed  with  deer's  hairs  and 
Indian's  hairs,  and  presented  it  with  some  pounded 
meat. 

On  reaching  Fort  Providence,  a  ludicrous  scene 
occurred.  Back  wished  to  send  back  the  Indians  at 
once  with  letters  to  Franklin.  But  they  alleged  illness 
and  want  of  rest.  Some  spirits  were  given  them,  and 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were,  they  said,  ready  to 
go  anywhere.  With  the  last  drops,  however,  their 
courage  oozed  out,  and  they  began  to  cry,  only  to  dry 
their  tears,  and  to  become  as  jovial  as  before,  on  the 
production  of  a  second  bottle.  At  Fort  Providence 
Back  received  nothing  but  disai)pointing  news  of  the 
stores.  So  he  set  out  in  a  dog-sledge,  and  on 
December  10th  reached  Moose  Deer  Island.  Here 
he  found  some  spirits  adulterated  by  the  men  who  had 
brought  them,  thirty-five  instead  of  sixty  pounds  of 
sugar,  and  neither  ammunition  nor  tobacco.  He 
vigorously  demanded  supplies  from  both  Companies, 
but,  as  they  were  themselves  badly  off,  and  he  could 
not  get  half  what  he  wanted,  he  sent  off  what  he  had 
obtained  to  Fort  Enterprise,  and  himself  set  out  again 


Back's  Sufferings, 


57 


for  tho  Athabasca  Lake,  with  Beauparlant,  a  half- 
breed,  and  two  dog-sledges  ladea  with  pemmican. 

The  snow  was  so  deep  that  on  some  days  the  dogs 
were  forced  to  stop  every  ten  minutes,  and  tho  cold  so 
great  that  the  faces  of  both  liis  followers  were  badly 
frozen.  He  himself  got  a  bad  fall,  owing  to  his  snow- 
shoes  becoming  entangled  in  the  sledges,  and  was 
dragged  some  way  by  them,  and  his  knees  became  very 
painful,  so  that,  though  the  dogs  went  slowly,  he  could 
hardly  keep  pace  with  them.  The  poor  animals 
suifered  still  more.  Snow  fell,  and  balled  in  lumps 
between  their  toes.  They  became  quite  exhausted, 
and  their  feet  perfectly  raw.  Back  made  shoes  for 
them,  but  they  continually  came  off  in  the  deep 
snow.  From  extremity  of  cold  they  passed,  when  they 
reached  the  upper  part  of  the  Slave  Eiver,  to  what  was 
to  them  extremity  of  heat.  "It  is  terrible,"  said 
Beauparlant, "  to  be  frozen  and  sunburnt  in  tho  same 
day."  It  was  not  the  physical  pain  which  he  minded 
most.  Veteran  voyagers  consider  a  frostbite  to  be  a 
sign  of  effeminacy,  and  excusable  only  in  "  pork- 
eaters,"  as  they  call  novices  in  the  country. 

Presently  a  north-west  gale  rose,  and  the  cold  became 
piercingly  intense.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  rubbing 
the  face  with  one  hand,  while  the  other  was  made 
warm  to  take  its  turn  at  the  same  operation ;  and 
scarcely  had  the  remedy  relieved  one  frostbite,  when 
another  required  it  again.    Almost  the  whole  side  of 


i 


.     y 


58 


Sir  John  r.'anklin. 


I 


one  man's  face  was  raw.  Back  and  Beauparlant  were 
both  lame,  and  in  great  pain.  Yet  in  spite  of  all 
their  sufferings  tliey  reached  Chipewyan  after  a  journey 
of  ten  days  and  four  hours — the  shortest  time  in  which 
the  distance  had  ever  been  done  at  that  season  of  the 
year.  It  was  a  grand  walk;  and  the  Company's 
officials  were  the  more  surprised,  because  a  report  had 
come  that  the  party  had  been  speared  to  death  by  the 
Esquimaux.  Back's  demands  were  only  partially 
satisfied,  and  he  was  kept  waiting  for  goods,  which 
did  not  come  till  February  9th.  However,  he  at  last  set 
out  with  four  sledge-loads  of  stores,  after  giving  one 
more  proof  of  his  endurance  by  kissing  the  whole 
female  population  of  the  Fort,  when  it  drew  up  in  line 
to  see  hirn  off.  Taking  up  the  stock  at  Fort  Providence, 
and  leaving  directions  for  fresh  supplies  to  be  sent  the 
following  "^^ear,  he  made  straight  for  Fort  Enterprise, 
after  an  absence  of  nearly  five  months,  during  which  he 
had  travelled  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  four  miles 
on  snow-shoes,  with  no  other  covering  at  night  in  the 
woods  but  a  blanket  and  a  deerskin,  with  the  thermo- 
meter frequently  at  40°,  and  once  at  67"*  below  zero, 
and  sometimes  passing  two  or  three  days  without 
tasting  food. 


,  ^  J... 


7 


CHAPTER    V 

FRANKLINS  FIRST  EXPEDITION   (CONTINUED). 

Misconduct  of  St.  Germain — Difficulties  with  Akaitcho — The  Start 
from  Fort  Enterprise — "Bloody  Fall" — Esquimaux — The  Indiann 
desert — Wentzel  sent  back — Boat  Voyage  along  the  Coast — Point 
Turnagain. 

FRANKLIN  now  began  to  prepare  for  liis  grand 
attempt.  The  month  of  March  was  fine,  and  tlie 
two  Belangers,  who  were  sent  with  despatches  for  the 
Colonial  Secretary  in  April,  came  back  by  the  end  of 
the  month  with  the  rest  of  the  goods  which  Back's 
indomitable  efforts  had  procured  from  the  Athabascan 
department.  Cournoyde,  being  ill,  was  discharged.* 
One  Indian  and  an  Indian  woman  were  also  sent  back, 
and  the  two  others  preferred  to  join  Akaitcho.  A 
letter  had  been  sent  to  Governor  Williams,  begging 
him  to  send  a  schooner  to  Wager  Bay,  with  provisions 
and  clothing  for  the  party,  should  it  reach  that  part  of 
the  coast. 

It  was,  in  fact,  high  time  to  be  gone.  Signs  of 
summer  were  thickening.  The  whole  establishment 
was  thrown  into  commotion,  and  filled  with  cheerful- 


i 


m 


60 


Szr  yohn  Franklin, 


ness,  by  the  apparition  of  a  large  house-fly  on  the  8th 
of  May.  This  great  event  was  a  topic  of  conversation 
for  the  rest  of  the  day.  On  the  14th  a  robin  appeared, 
which  the  natives  consider  the  infallible  precursor  of 
warm  weather.  The  birds  are,  in  fact,  to  them  a  sort 
of  natural  almanack.  Geese  reach  Cumberland  House 
about  April  12th,  Fort  Chipewyan  about  the  25th,  Fort 
Providence  about  the  the  1st  of  May,  and  Fort  Enter- 
prise about  the  14th.  But  if  summer  was  coming,  food 
was  going.  The  nets  produced  but  few  fish.  The 
hunters  sent  no  meat.  The  pounded  meat  kept  for 
summer  use  was  almost  gone.  Occasionally  only  one 
meal  a-day  was  to  be  had.  The  Indians  about  the 
house  suffered  most.  Franklin  in  vain  tried  to  get 
them  to  join  Akaitcho,  but  they  were  sick  or  infirm, 
and  liked  Dr.  Eichardson's  medicines.  With  pity  he 
saw  them  scraping  the  snow  away  at  the  autumn 
encampment  to  look  for  bits  of  hide,  bones,  and  deers' 
feet,  in  order  to  gnaw  or  suck  them  after  they  had 
been  boiled.  Little  then  did  he  think  that  the  day 
would  soon  come  when  he  himself  should  Qw^y  them 
their  miserable  meal.  In  order  to  keep  the  men  from 
brooding  over  their  privations,  Franklin  encouraged 
sledging  down  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  while 
cheerily  joining  in  the  fun,  was  thrown  from  his 
sledge,  and  driven  over  by  a  fat  Indian  woman,  who 
sprained  his  knee  in  ber  career. 

He  had  other  causes  for  anxiety  besides  want  of 


yr-     i     ip.,,.j~..- 


■^r^-t/ti-yi  •'f.iir 


-  ^\V~  -"  i  :,T^<^  ?■ 


Si.  Germain  s  Misconduct. 


61 


food.  St.  Germain,  he  found,  had  been  tampering  with 
the  Indians  since  his  visit  to  Fort  Providence,  having 
no  doubt  been  corrupted  by  the  bad  example  of  the  evil 
genius  of  the  expedition — Weeks.  The  interpreter  had 
worked  on  the  fears  both  of  the  Canadians  and  Indians, 
re  resenting  the  intended  journey  as  certain  to  be  fatal, 
and  suc^ije stint;  to  Akaitclio  that  aifronts  were  beinf; 
deliberately  offered  him.  Franklin  threatened  to  carry 
him  for  trial  to  England,  but  St.  Germain  doggedly 
replied  that  it  mattered  little  whether  he  died  in 
England  or  at  the  sea,  where,  if  he  persisted  in  going 
on,  they  would  all  perish.  Unable  to  dispense  with 
the  traitor's  services,  Franklin  could  only  remonstrate. 
Akaitcho,  too,  who  in  March  seemed  friendly,  and  had 
promised  to  go  to  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  Biver, 
and  for  some  distance  along  the  coast,  now  assumed 
another  attitude.  He  sent  to  request  that  he  might  be 
received  with  a  salute  and  presents,  as  when  he  visited 
Fort  Providence.  When  this  was  complied  with,  though 
Franklin  grudged  the  waste  of  the  precious  powder, 
he  proceeded  to  detail  a  number  of  grievances,  some  of 
which,  though  irritating  to  Franklin,  were,  we  can  see, 
reasonable  enough,  and  others  which  showed  the  evil 
effects  of  St.  Germain's  baseness  and  his  own  inability 
to  resist  driving  a  hard  bargain  with  distressed  men. 
He  first  asked  that  the  great  chief  King  George  should 
send  him  a  fine  present  by  sea,  if  the  passage  to  it  was 
found.     Then  he  asked  how  he  could  expect  to  be  paid 


62 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


the  large  reward  promised  by  Franklin  if  Weeks  would 
not  now  cash  Franklin's  trifling  notes.  Both  Com- 
panies seemed,  he  said,  enemies  to  the  expedition. 
Then  Franklin's  rum  was  too  weak,  and  his  presents 
too  small,  and  he  really  could  not  accept  them.  With 
loLg-suffering  prudence,  Franklin  replied  that  King 
George  would  certainly  send  him  a  present;  that  the 
rumours  spread  about  were  lies,  such  as,  he  took  it  for 
granted,  were  the  rumours  he  heard  about  Akaitcho; 
that  his  debts  to  the  Company  had  been  cancelled ; 
that  Weeks  was  too  far  away  to  be  brought  to  book ; 
and  that  the  rum  was  really  of  better  quality,  though 
milder,  and  was  what  English  noblemen  drank. 
Akaitcho,  however,  remained  sullen,  and  declared  that 
the  expedition,  if  persisted  in,  was  doomed  to  destruc- 
tion. This  was  clearly  an  inspiration  from  St.  Germain, 
who,  knowing  it  would  be  attributed  to  him,  took 
alarm,  and  to  some  extent  altered  Akaitcho's  de- 
meanour. In  strong  contrast  with  such  sulky  avarice 
was  the  gratitude  of  Augustus  and  Junius  on  being 
given  some  lace  dresses.  It  is  impossible  to  describe 
the  joy  of  the  latter  on  the  receipt  of  this  present. 
The  happy  little  fellow  burst  into  laughter  as  he 
surveyed  the  different  articles  of  his  gay  habiliments. 

Luckily  for  Franklin,  jealousies  among  the  Indians 
stood  him  in  good  stead.  He  had  previously  received 
offers  to  collect  provisions  for  him  on  his  route  from 
the   second  chief  in    importance,   named  The   Hook. 


A kaitcho *s  Whims. 


63 


And  now,  when  the  rest  of  the  Indians  came  in  with 
Akaitcho'a  brothers,  Humpy  and  Anoethaiyazzeh,  and 
Lonf:;legs,  brother  of  The  Hook,  it  soon  appeared  that 
Akaitcho  was  not  to  have  it  all  his  own  way.  Akaitcho 
still  refused  to  say  whether  he  would  go  to  the  sea,  and 
still  refused  to  accept  the  presents,  saying  he  must 
have  more.  Humpy  then  said  that  he  could  testify 
that  Franklin  had,  at  the  outset,  stated  his  inability  to 
give  larger  rewards  till  the  journey  was  over.  This 
somewhat  staggered  Akaitcho,  but  he  would  not  give 
way,  and  the  provoking  pettiness  of  the  whole  affair 
may  be  gauged  by  the  fact  that,  after  much  haggling, 
he  demanded  two  or  three  more  kettles  and  some 
blankets.  The  ofTicers  gave  him  one  a-piece  from  their 
own  beds ;  but  sorely  tried  indeed  must  their  patience 
and  good  temper  have  been,  as  they  reflected  how  the 
vital  necessity  of  this  man's  co-operation  forced  them 
to  chaffer  with  a  savage  in  whose  eyes  some  tinker's 
ware  was  more  valuable  than  the  well'are  and  projects 
of  civilised  men. 

At  last,  Akaitcho's  avarice  betrayed  him  into  an 
indiscretion.  "There  are  too  few  goods,"  he  sulkily 
said,  "  for  me  to  distribute  ;  those  that  mean  to  follow 
the  white  people  to  the  sea  may  take  them."  To  his 
chagrin,  the  guide  and  most  of  the  hunters  declared 
that  they  would  go,  and  the  hunters,  on  bein^^ 
given  ammunition,  set  off  to  procure  supplies  for  the 
march.     Akaitcho  saw  now  that  he  had  crona  too  far. 


•■/.-' t-y',>'"vr    V 


64 


Sir  yohn  Fra^iklin, 


it 


and  made  a  sort  of  apologia  pro  vita  sud,  representin 
liimself  as  Chief  Beggar  for  the  whole  tribe,  and  there- 
fore importunate  on  principle — an  excuse  which  proved 
him  qualified  to  shine  in  callings  and  countries  less 
rude  than  his  own.  One  more  artful  attempt,  however, 
he  made  to  discover  if,  after  all,  he  had  thoroughly 
explored  the  nakedness  of  the  land.  Two  old  men,  he 
said,  were  come  with  some  meat,  if  Franklin  wislied  to 
have  it.  Franklin  said  he  would  pay  for  it  with  notes 
on  the  North- West  Company ;  and  at  length  the  astute 
Akaitcho  was  convinced  that  he  had  sucked  the  orange 
dry,  and  that,  whatever  price  he  was  to  get  for  his 
services,  its  payment  must  be  waited  for  till  some 
future  day.  Through  all  these  negotiations  Franklin's 
good  sense  and  good  humour  appear  in  a  striking  light. 
Even  when  most  worried  by  their  mixture  of  childish- 
ness and  diplomacy,  he  had  an  eye  for  the  better 
qualities  of  which,  it  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel, 
Akaitcho  was  possessed,  and  his  dignified  resistance  to 
imposture,  aad  never-varying  kindness,  inspired  a 
respect  and  attachment  which  eventually  was  the 
salvation  of  his  own  and  his  companions'  lives. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1821,  Dr.  Eichardson  started  in 
charge  of  the  first  party,  wliich  numbered  twenty-three 
adults  and  some-  children,  with  three  dog-sledges  and  a 
number  of  hand-sledges.  Franklin's  plan  was  to  make 
for  the  sea  down  the  Coppermine  River,  and  there  to 
take  only  enough  of  the  party  to  man  two  canoes. 


I 


Franklins  Departure, 


05 


sending  back  the  rest  with  Mr.  Wentzel,  who  was  to 
collect  meat  and  deposit  it  at  fixed  places  for  the  crews 
of  the  canoes,  should  they  be  forced  to  return  overland. 
Akaitcho  was  specially  ordered  tc  victual  Fort  Enter- 
prise before  the  following  September,  and  promised  to 
do  so,  suggesting  the  cellar  as  the  best  place  in  which 
to  store  the  meat.  In  the  afternoon  he  set  out  on  his 
hunting  duties,  after  slyly  remarking  to  Franklin  that, 
now  the  house  was  stripped,  he  saw  the  English  had 
really  no  more  presents  to  make  him,  and  that  he 
would  do  his  best  to  supply  them  with  food.  On  the 
13th,  messengers  came  from  Kichardson  saying  he  had 
reached  Point  Lake,  and  on  the  14th,  Franklin,  having 
sent  the  canoes  ahead,  each  dragged  by  four  men  and 
two  dogs,  himself  with  the  rest  of  the  party  left  Fort 
Enterprise. 

The  course  lay  northwards,  along  a  chain  of  lakes 
connected  by  rivers.  Franklin  fell  through  the  ice  in 
one  place,  and  the  matter-of-fact  way  in  which  he 
chronicles  his  own  misfortune  contrasts  with  his  pity* 
ing  mention  of  a  similar  mishap  to  the  Esquimaux 
Junius.  But  to  be  wet  through  all  day,  to  march  when 
suffering  from  rheumatic  pains,  to  be  half  eaten  by 
mosquitoes  by  night,  were  the  normal  conditions  of  such 
travelling,  and  after  several  days  of  it,  Franklin  wa« 
glad  to  reach  Point  Lake  and  Dr.  liichardson's 
encampment.  Here  he  found  that  Akaitcho  had  spent 
all  his  ammunition,  without  having  accumulated  any 

£ 


.? 


66 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


meat,  and  all  that  he  had  to  depend  on  was  two 
hundred  pounds  of  dried  meat  prepared  by  Ilicliardson. 
He  told  Akaitcho  he  would  in  future  give  him  ammu- 
nition only  in  proportion  to  the  meat  brought  in. 

Proceeding  down  the  main  channel  of  the  lake,  he 
found  his  men  so  jaded  by  excessive  toil,  as  well  as 
crippled  by  inflammation,  that  he  determined  to  leave 
one  of  his  three  canoes  behind  so  as  to  provide  an 
additional  dog  for  each  of  the  other  two  canoes,  and 
three  men  to  help  in  carrying  the  loads.  But  the 
travelling  grew  worse  as  they  went  on.  Eecent  rain 
had  honeycombed  the  ice,  and  its  innumerable  sharp 
points  tore  the  shoes  and  the  feet  of  those  walking  on 
it  at  every  step.  The  steps  of  the  dogs,  too,  were 
marked  by  a  trail  of  blood. 

At  length  this  irksome  work  of  hauling  boats  over 
land  and  lake  and  river,  of  cutting  paths  through  ice 
drifts,  of  wading  through  water  two  feet  deep  over 
rotten  ice,  was  over,  and  at  nine  a.m.,  July  2ud,  they 
had  the  happiness  to  embark  on  the  Coppermine 
Kiver — at  this  point  about  two  hundred  yards  wide — 
and  were  borne  along  with  tremendous  rapidity  over 
large  stones,  which  would  have  dashed  the  canoes  to 
pieces  had  the  bottoms  struck  on  them.  But  there  was 
not^'ng  for  it  but  to  trust  to  the  bov/man  and  steers- 
man's skill,  and  admire  the  beautiful  scenery  on  the 
banks,  where  wooded  dells  and  dale»  were  bounded  by 
a  range  of  hills  six  hundred  feet  high.     The  trees  had 


I 


\ 


I , 


v 


7  he  Hoo/cs  Generosity. 


6T 


\ 


\ 


begun  to  jut  forth  leaves, aud  ilowers  decked  the  moss- 
covered  j^round.  When  they  reached  any  dangerous 
rapid,  they  disembarked  the  ammunition  and  instru- 
ments till  the  canoes  had  got  clear. 

On  tlie  7th  of  July  they  came  to  The  Hook's 
encam})ment.  Akaitcho  had  just  lold  Fianklin  that 
he  was  a  rogue,  but  he  turned  out  to  be  a  far  more 
generous  man  than  Akaitcho.  He  made  Franklin  a 
present  of  all  the  meat  he  had,  saying  that  he  was  too 
much  indebted  to  the  white  men  to  see  them  in  want 
of  food,  tliab  he  knew  they  could  not  afford  to  delay, 
and  that  his  people  could  live  on  fish  till  they  could 
procure  more  meat.  He  also  agreed  to  remain  east  of 
the  Bear  Lake  till  November,  at  the  spot  nearest  the 
Coppermine  Eiver,  with  which  it  communicates  by 
lakes  and  portages,  and  to  deposit  provisions  both  there 
and  at  convenient  distances  along  the  line  of  communi- 
cation, and  along  the  river  to  the  Copper  Mountains. 

Soon  after  parting  from  The  Hook,  they  came  to  a 
bend  in  the  river,  which  then  ran  due  north,  through 
the  hills  which  had  before  been  parallel  to  its  eastern 
bank.  It  is  less  broad  here,  and  the  Indians  had 
told  them  that  they  would  reach  a  "  terrific  rapid," 
impassable  by  canoes.  This  rapid  is  formed  by 
perpendicular  cliffs  from  80  to  150  feet  high,  round 
the  spurs  of  which  the  water  dashes  furiously.  It 
was  safely  passed,  and  a  flying  visit  made  to  the 
Copper  Mountains,  on  the  west  of  the  river,  which  are 


X 


i 


A 


i 


m 


68 


Sir  yohn  Franklm, 


from  1200  to  1500  feet  high.  They  were  now  near  the 
spot  where  Esquimaux  had  been  always  seen,  and 
Augustus  and  Juuius  were  sent  ahead  to  reconnoitre, 
and  as  they  did  not  return  as  soon  as  expected,  the 
Indians  were  persuaded  to  stay  behind,  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  Akaitcho,  now  as  always  full  of  objections 
when  acquiescence  was  necessary.  "  United,"  he  said, 
"  the  party  might  do  something ;  separated,  they  would 
fall  a  prey  to  the  Esquimaux."  Franklin  persuaded 
him  that  the  first  thing  was  to  avoid  alarming  the 
Esquimaux,  and  he  stayed  behind,  only  to  reappear,  to 
Franklin's  disgust,  just  at  the  time  when  Esquimaux 
had  actually  been  encountered  by  the  two  interpreters. 
The  Esquimaux  were  not  unfriendly,  but,  on  catching 
sight  of  a  number  of  the  party,  had  fled  from  the  place 
where  they  were  conversing  with  Augustas,  and  dis- 
appeared on  the  eastern  shore.  The  neighbourhood 
was  an  ominou«  one.  At  the  Esquimaux  encampment 
were  skulls  bearing  the  marks  of  violence,  and  appar- 
ently it  was  the  place  which  Ilearne  had  christened 
"Bloody  Fall,"  to  commemorate  the  massacre  of 
Esquimaux  perpetrated  there  by  his  Indian  followers. 
Another  party  of  Esquimaux  was  shortly  afterwards 
seen,  and  when  they  took  to  flight,  one  old  man  of 
their  number  was  unable  to  escape,  and  Augustus 
made  friends  with  him.  He  agreed  to  barter  some 
meat — which,  however,  proved  too  putrid  for  use — and 
informed  him  that  his  people  came  to  the  Bloody  Fall 


I 


i 


The  Indiaiis  desert. 


0'.) 


?J 


ill  summer  to  fish  for  salmon,  nnd  retired  to  the  coast 
ill  winter,  wliere  they  lived  in  snow  huts.  Other  bands 
of  Esquimaux  being  seen,  the  Indians  became  terril)ly 
alarmed,  and,  in  spite  of  all  Franklin  could  say,  they 
determined  to  leave  him  at  once.  They  promised, 
however,  to  halt  at  the  Copper  Mountains  for  Wentzel 
and  the  four  men  who  were  to  return  as  soon  as  the 
sea  was  reached,  and  pledged  themselves  to  deposit 
provisions  both  at  Fort  Enterprise  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  Coppermine  Ptiver.  Not  one  of  their  promises 
was  kept.  The  interpreters,  Adam  and  St.  Germain, 
were  infected  by  the  same  panic  as  the  Indians;  but 
Franklin,  having  their  written  engagement  to  go  with 
him  throughout  the  voyage,  and  being  unable  to  dis- 
pense with  their  skill  in  hunting,  would  not  allow 
them  to  withdraw,  and  kept  them  under  surveillance. 

On  the  19th  July,  he  gave  his  letters  into  Wentzel's 
charge,  and  in  the  evening  sent  him,  with  four 
Canadians — Parent,  Gagnier,  Dumas,  and  Forcier — on 
the  homeward  route,  his  own  party  numbering  twenty. 
Wentzel's  instructions  were  as  follows,  and  it  is 
important  to  note  them,  because,  dreadful  though  the 
subsequent  sufferings  of  the  expedition  were,  it  is  clear 
that  both  at  this  stage  of  it,  as  at  nvcry  other,  Franklin 
had  neglected  no  precaution  which  anxious  foresight 
could  suggest  to  render  such  sufferings  impossible. 
He  was  to  go  to  Point  Lake,  take  the  canoe  left  there 
to  Fort  Enterprise,  embark  in  it  the  books  and  instru- 


70 


Sir  John  Frafiklin. 


menta  remaining  in  the  house,  carry  them  to  the  Slave 
Luke,  and  despatch  them  to  Engh\nd.  But  he  was  not 
to  quit  Fort  Enterprise  till  he  had  satisfied  himself 
that  the  Indians  would  stock  it  with  provisions;  he 
was  to  get  ammunition  for  them,  if  they  wanted  any, 
from  Fort  Providence ;  he  was  to  leave  a  letter  at  the 
Fort,  stating  where  the  Indian  hunting  parties  would 
be  in  September  and  October;  and  he  was  to  take  to 
the  North-West  Company  a  list  of  the  goods  promised 
to  Akaitcho,  and  a  request  tliat  the  drafts -on  it  might 
be  duly  honoured.  Further,  if  he  met  The  Hook,  he 
was  to  assure  him  that  he  was  carrying  documents 
which  would  ensure  payment  for  any  meat  placed  en 
cache,  and  to  say  that  Franklin  fully  relied  on  his 
keeping  his  word.  Lastly,  if  he  could  kill  any  animals 
himself,  he  was  to  put  them  en  cache  under  conspicuous 
marks.  Thus,  having  taken  every  precaution  wliich 
prudence  could  suggest,  and  after  a  journey  from  Fort 
Enterprise  of  334  miles,  during  117  of  which  the 
canoes  were  dragged  over  snow  and  ice,  Franklin  and 
his  little  party  prepared  to  essay  the  waters  of  the 
unknown  sea. 

A  gale  at  first  prevented  the  canoes  from  being 
launched  on  an  element  which  the  Euglislimeu  hailed 
as  an  old  friend.  What  was  worse,  an  inroad  had  to 
be  made  on  the  dried  meal,  of  which  they  only  had 
brought  enough  for  fifteen  days'  consumption.  But  on 
the  21st  they  paddled  away  at  noon,  and  for  the  rest 


« 


t 


t * 


Food  fails. 


71 


N 


t 


of  the  day  eastwards,  and  on  the  following  day  were 
able  to  pursue  the  voyage  under  sail,  naming  islands 
and  rivers  as  they  passed  along.  They  were,  however, 
much  impeded  by  loose  ice  and  fog,  which  sometimes 
made  it  doubtful  whether  tliey  were  following  the  main 
line  of  tht  coast  or  that  of  some  inlet.  On  the  28th  of 
July,  two  bag«  of  the  pemmican,  on  which  they  chiefly 
relied,  were  found  to  be  mouldy  from  wet,  and  their 
meat  had  been  so  badly  cured  as  to  be  scarcely  eatable. 
Seals  were  the  only  live  animals  they  saw  (and  these 
they  could  not  kill)  till  the  30th,  when  one  small  deer 
was  shot. 

Having  only  food  enough  to  last  eight  days,  Franklin 
tried  to  open  communications  with  the  Esquimaux, 
sending  Augustus,  Junius,  and  Hepburn  to  try  and 
effect  that  object.  But  they  came  back  unsuccessful, 
though  they  had  killed  a  bear  and  two  small  deer.  On 
the  3rd  of  August,  in  spite  of  occasional  supplies 
of  fresh  meat,  there  were  only  two  bags  of  pemmican 
left,  and  the  men  began  gloomily  to  forebode  starvation, 
till,  by  good  luck,  they  killed  some  bears.  But  nine 
invaluable  days  were  lost  in  following  the  shore  of  a 
bay,  which  they  named  Bathurst  Inlet,  under  the 
impression  that  it  was  the  main  coast-line.  The 
Indians,  who  strike  straight  across  the  embouchure  of 
a  river  from  point  to  point,  had  not,  in  speaking  of  the 
coast,  described  this  inlet  at  all.  The  Canadians,  who 
had  hitherto  been  more  or  less  cheerful,  were  terrified' 


T^p^yiVf 


7t 


Sir  jfohn  Franklin, 


by  some  rough  waves  which  a  breeze  blew  up,  and 
were  still  more  alarmed,  cliietiy  through  the  cowardly 
example  of  St.  Germain  and  Adam,  when  they  found 
the  canoes  badly  damaged.  Franklin,  too,  reflected 
that  these  fresh  breezes  pointed  probably  to  the  break- 
ing up  of  the  season ;  that  no  fish  was  to  be  had  ;  that 
his  provisions  were  all  but  gone;  that  they  had  lost 
too  much  time  to  dream  of  reaching  Repulse  Bay ;  and 
that  the  farther  they  now  advanced  in  that  direction, 
the  farther  would  they  have  to  march  overland  through 
a  barren  country  to  Fort  Enterprise.  So  he  announced 
on  the  1.5th  of  August  that,  unless  he  met  Esquimaux, 
and  could  effect  satisfactory  arrangements  with  them 
during  the  next  four  days,  he  would  return. 

He  met  no  Esquimaux,  and  a  real  storm  increased 
the  desire  of  his  men  to  be  quit  of  the  sea.  On  the 
18th,  therefore,  at  the  spot  named  Point  Turnagain, 
after  he  had  traced  the  deeply-indented  coast  555 
geographical  miles,  he  gave  the  word  for  return.  "  I 
trust,"  he  modestly  says,  "it  will  be  judged  that  we 
prosecuted  the  enterprise  as  far  as  "/as  prudent,  and 
abandoned  it  only  under  a  well-founded  conviction 
that  a  further  advance  would  endanger  the  lives  of 
the  whole  party."  Curiously  enough.  Parry,  on  that 
very  day,  sailed  out  of  Repulse  Bay,  which  was  about 
540  miles  off. 


\\ 


\ 


^<-  ''7^  ?''^-"-  *^'*^'"-"''"^^'^-r'r^''f''^ 


vr--  ■■  .  v-..-'-fv 


i 


CHAPTER    Yl. 

franklin's   first   expedition    (cONTINuFD). 

Return  by  Land — Terrible  Suffering — The  Cannes  broken— Famine — 
Fishing  Nets  abandoned — Tiipe  de  Roche — Back  sent  ahead — 
Richardson's  Gallantry — Credit  and  Vaillant  break  down — Hood's 
Illness — Heroic  Self-sacrifice  of  Richardson  and  Hepburn — Pcrrault 
breaks  down — Death  oi  Fontano — Franklin  finds  Fort  Enterprise 
deserted — Richardson  rejoins  him  there. 

FRANKLIN  had  originally  intended  to  return  by 
the  same  route — that  is  to  say,  by  tlie  coast  to  the 
Coppermine  Eiver,  and  then  up  that  river  to  Point 
Lake.  But  his  experience  of  the  barrenness  of  the 
country,  and  the  recent  storms,  induced  him  to  change 
his  plan,  and  make  by  sea  for  the  lately-christened 
Arctic  Sound,  and  thence  up  Hood's  River  as  far  as  he 
could.  Then  he  meant  to  break  up  the  large  canoes, 
and,  constructing  smaller  ones  from  the  materials, 
carry  them,  and  be  carried  by  them  in  turn,  to  Fort 
Enterprise.  But  even  before  he  could  leave  Point 
Turnagain,  he  had  a  foretaste  of  the  miseries  which 
were  approaching.  Rain,  followed  by  a  gale,  prevented 
him  from  stirring  from  his  anchorage.     Then  came  a 


74 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


if  ^ 


frost,  and  one  of  the  men  had  his  tliighs  frostbitten. 
He  and  anothor  had  thrown  away  meat  which  they  had 
been  sent  out  to  procure.  Yet  another  gale  hindered 
them  setting  out  till  August  23rd,  by  which  time  they 
had  only  enough  pemmican  left  to  serve  for  two  meals. 
The  terrors  of  starvation  overcame  the  voyagers'  terror 
of  the  waves,  and  they  volunteered  to  traverse  Meiville 
Sound  in  a  rough  sea.  This  they  did,  after  much  peril, 
but  on  landing  could  find  no  game,  and  supped  on 
berries  and  tea  made  from  herbs. 

Next  day  a  respite  from  starvation  came  in  the  shape 
of  some  deer,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  sea-voyage  they 
were  in  no  want  of  food.  When  they  encamped  at 
the  iirst  rapid  of  Hood's  River,  the  voyagers  could  not 
concea'.  their  delight  at  having  left  the  sea  behind  for 
ever,  and  talked  over  their  adventures  with  much 
humour  and  exaggeration.  This  was  on  the  25th  of 
August.  The  weather  was  delightfully  fine  and  warm, 
but  so  hard  was  the  labour  of  dragging  the  canoes  up 
stream,  that  they  did  not  accomplish  more  than  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles  during  the  next  two  days.  On  the 
27th  they  encamped  near  two  magnificent  cascades, 
which  Franklin  called  Wilberforce  Falls.  The  rocks, 
through  a  chasm  in  which  the  river  flows,  are  here  over 
two  hundred  feet  high.  The  upper  fall  is  sixty,  the 
lower  over  a  hundred  feet,  the  latter  being  split  in  two 
by  a  lofty  column  of  rock.  Here  the  large  canoes  were 
abandoned.     Moose-skin  leather  was  equally  divided 


The  Return  Overland. 


75 


the 


for  maki 


•boe- 


socks  and 


among  tne  men 
of  the  tents  were  given  them;  ail  unnecessary  stores, 
as  books,  etc.,  were  placed  en  cache;  and  Franklin 
announced  his  intention  of  making  for  Point  Lake, 
distant  then  in  a  straight  line  only  a  hundred  and 
forty-nine  miles. 

And  now  we  come  to  one  of  the  most  tracjic  histories 
ever  told.  One  might  call  it  pathetic,  but  that,  as 
Thackeray  says  of  the  circumstances  of  George  tlie 
Third's  madness,  it  is  too  terrible  for  tears.  Xeverthe- 
less,  no  one  could  read  Franklin's  diary  and  not  be 
touched.  It  was,  it  must  be  remembered,  written  from 
night  to  night,  after  the  day  had  been  spent  in  one  of 
the  most  frightful  of  all  torments,  starvation,  and  when 
death  seemed  to  draw  visibly  nearer  hour  by  hour.  It 
is  as  if  he  had  written  it  with  his  heart's  blood,  which 
to  the  last  drop  he  was  determined  should  be  shed 
for  those  at  home  in  England.  There  is  no  unmanly 
wailing  in  it.  It  is  the  most  matter-of-fact  record  of 
appalling  suffering.  Perhaps  the  most  tragic  feature 
of  it  is  that  at  one  point  the  dates  cease.  Whether  he 
had  lost  count  of  time  or  not,  it  is  impossible  to  say. 
The  diary  does  not  cease,  though  the  dates  do.  Perhaps 
the  record  of  those  days  was  added  afterwards,  because, 
however  willing  the  spirit  was,  he  found  it  frequently 
impossible  to  pen  his  notes  upon  the  spot. 

On  the  1st  of  September  all  preparations  were  com- 
pleted, and  they  started,  each  man  carrying  a  load  of 


^Hi 


76 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


■;$  <§ 


aboufc  ninety  pounds,  with  which  they  advanced  about 
a  mile  an  liour.  They  killed  a  cow  in  a  herd  of  musk 
oxen,  but  could  not  carry  much  of  the  meat  owing  to 
their  loads,  and  because  they  did  not  then  dream  how 
much  more  precious  than  any  other  load  meat  would 
soon  become.  A  hif]jh  wind  rose,  which  made  the 
carrying  of  the  canoes  difiicult,  and  the  ground  was 
covered  with  small  stones,  from  which  the  soft  moose- 
skin  shoes  were  but  poor  protection.  All  went  well, 
however,  till  they  left  the  river-side  to  strike  direct  foi^ 
Point  Lake.  By  the  6th  the  men  had  become  very 
wayworn,  but  did  not  complain,  though  one  was  lame 
from  inflammation  in  the  knee.  The  last  piece  of 
pemmican  was  given  out,  with  a  little  arrowroot,  and 
they  lay  down  for  the  night.  I^ot  to  sleep,  however, 
for  at  midnight  heavy  ruin  fell,  and  then  snow,  followed 
by  a  violent  gale.  Having  no  food,  and  no  means  of 
making  a  fire,  they  remained  in  bed  all  next  day. 
Their  tents  were  frozen,  and  buried  three  feet  deep  in 
snow,  which  even  in  the  inside  was  several  inches 
deep  on  the  blankets.  The  temperature  was  at  20°. 
But  the  pangs  of  hunger  were  felt  more  than  the  pangs 
of  cold.  On  the  7tli  they  made  fc:uch  shift  as  tliey 
could  to  pack  up  the  frozen  tents  with  their  freezing 
hands,  weak  as  they  were  from  fasting,  and  with  their 
garments  also  stiffened  by  the  cold.  Just  before  they 
set  out,  Franklin  fainted,  but  recovered  after  eating  a 
morsel  of  portable  soup.    For  this  he  makes  a  charac- 


Horrors  of  the  March, 


77 


)oloi 


iUi 


first  to  take  tli 


teristic 

morsel,  which  was  diminishing  the  small  and  only 
remaining  meal  for  the  party,  but  several  of  the  men 
urged  me  to  it  with  much  kindness." 

The  ground  was  now  buried  a  foot  deep  in  snow  and 
the  swamps  frozen,  but  the  ice  often  broke  and  plunged 
them  knee-deep  in  water.  Gusts  of  wind  blew  down 
the  canoe-bearers  repeatedly,  and  the  largest  canoe  was 
broken  beyond  repair.  The  voyagers  had  grumbled  at 
this  special  duty,  and  Bennoit  was  suspected  of  having 
broken  it  on  purpose.  In  any  case,  it  was  a  dreadful 
loss,  as  the  other  was  not  large  enough  for  some 
purposes,  and  if  the  party  was  divided,  it  was  almost 
indispensable  that  each  division  should  have  a  canoe. 
However,  making  the  best  of  a  bad  business,  they  lit  a 
fire  with  the  broken  timbers,  cooked  the  rest  of  their 
soup  and  arrowroot,  and,  after  three  days'  fasting,  were 
considerably  strengthened  by  the  warmth  and  by  even 
so  scanty  a  meal.  They  marched  in  Indian  file  because 
of  the  snow.  Some  object  ahead  was  pointed  out  to 
the  front  man,  and  Hood  followed  him  to  keep  him  to 
his  bearings.  The  last  man  of  the  party  would  in  this 
way  have  much  the  easiest  walking.  That  night  they 
lay  down  in  their  wet  clothes,  after  a  supper  of  half-a- 
partridge  a-piece,  and  the  glutinous  lichen  scraped  from 
the  rocks,  called  trij^t  de  roche.  They  did  not  again  take 
off  their  shoes  and  stockings,  for  fear  of  their  freezing. 

On  the  8th  they  reached  a  river,  which  Franklin 


! 


■'<' 


:4; ! 


i 

\ 

?'  (5   * 

I-' 

! 

i 

i 

gf-i 

i 

K-.'' 

1 

P 

■ 

P 

U 

i'i 

rj- 

K^ 

mh 

78 


^2>  y^?/^^  Fi^anklin. 


■",, 


named  after  his  relations,  "Cracroft."  In  crossing  it, 
several  men  fell  in,  and  all  were  wet  to  the  waist. 
Their  clothes  froze,  and  in  much  pain  they  marched 
till  late,  having  started  at  half-past  five  in  the  morning. 
A  partridge  each  and  trifp.  de  roche  was  all  they  liad  to 
eat  at  night,  "  but,"  says  Franklin,  "  the  meal  proved  a 
cheerful  one,  and  was  received  with  thankfulness." 
One  of  the  hunters  being  absent  with  the  tent,  most  of 
the  men  had  to  sleep  in  the  open  air.  On  the  9th, 
they  came  to  a  place  where  the  river  expanded  into  a 
hike,  and,  not  knowing  the  course  of  this  lake  (the 
Congecatha  wha  Chaga  of  Hearne),  they  determined  to 
cross  it — an  unlucky  mistake,  which  cost  them  several 
days'  additional  toil,  for  they  ought  to  have  kept  to  the 
westward  of  it,  and  to  the  westward  of  the  Conwoyto 
Lake,  which  subsequently  they  made  a  disastrous 
attempt  to  cross,  after  a  harassing  march  along  its  shore. 
The  smallness  of  the  canoe  made  crossing  a  dangerous 
matter,  and  the  voyagers  must  now  have  felt  remorse 
at  their  short-sighted  selfishness.  One  by  one  each 
man,  lying  flat  on  his  back,  was  ferried  over  in  it  by 
St,  Germain,  Adam,  and  Peltier.  On  the  10th,  musk 
oxen  were  sighted,  and  a  scene  took  place  which  was 
parallelled  afterwards  in  Kane's  search  for  Franklin, 
except  that  the  quarry  then  was  a  seal  instead  of  an 
ox.  The  party  halted.  The  hunters  crept  ahead. 
Two  hours  passed  before  they  got  within  gunshot — 
hours  of   painful   suspense   for  their  comrades,  who 


•■•.rj  '*1»-«T^  r" 


!"•■;  n'*.f  "^■.' 


„.        .,,.-,^,.-^.^    v...^-:ir^--^y;"'^":<;'^' 


Increased  Hardships, 


79 


tl 


looked  on,  silently  but  fervently  praying  for  their 
success.  At  last  a  gun  went  off,  and  one  cow  fell.  In 
a  very  few  minutes  it  was  cut  up  and  skinned.  The 
contents  of  the  stomach  were  devoured  on  the  spot. 
Next  the  intestines  were  swallowed  raw,  and  pro- 
nounced excellent  by  the  most  fastidious.  That  night 
they  had  a  good  meal,  the  first  for  six  days,  for  trijpt 
de  roche  only  allayed  hunger  for  a  short  time. 

The  next  day  they  could  not  proceed  owing  to  the 
wind,  and  only  had  one  meal,  as  the  meat  would  not 
last  for  more  than  one  more  day.  When  they  did 
proceed  on  the  12th,  they  all  felt  much  weaker,  in  spite 
of  havinfj  thus  obtained  animal  food  a^ain.  On  the 
13th  they  reached  Conwoyto  Lake,  and  had  laboriously 
to  coast  along  its  edge  in  order  to  find  a  crossing-place. 
Here  Franklin  found  that  the  voyagers  had,  with  mad 
improvidence,  thrown  away  three  of  the  fishing-nets, 
so  that  there  was  no  fish — on  which  at  the  lakes  he  had 
counted  as  his  chief  resource — to  be  had.  The  men, 
too,  were  so  much  weaker,  that  it  was  necessary  to 
lighten  their  loads  by  leaving  behind  most  of  the 
instruments  and  books. 

On  the  14th,  Perrault  presented  the  officers  with  a 
small  portion  of  meat  saved  from  his  own  allowance — 
"  an  act  of  self-denial,"  says  Franklin,  "  at  which  our 
eyes  filled  with  tears."  Two  deer  were  killed  by  Credit 
the  same  day.  They  now  determined  to  cross  the 
water,  here  three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  flowing  fast 


••■'•• .-»>--..:■ 


80 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


over  a  rocky  bed.  The  canoe,  with  Franklin,  S. 
Belanger,  and  St.  Germain  in  it,  was  upset  in  the 
middle  of  the  rapid.  Franklin  and  St.  Germain 
managed  to  get  in  again,  and,  after  another  upset, 
reached  the  opposite  shore.  But  Belanger  remained  on 
a  rock,  exposed  to  a  strong  breeze,  when  the  tempera- 
ture was  little  above  zero.  Piteously  he  cried  for  help, 
but  it  was  found  impossible  to  get  him  on  board.  At 
last  the  canoe  carried  him  a  cord,  by  which  he  was 
dragged  perfectly  senseless  through  the  rapid.  He  was 
stripped  and  rolled  up  in  blankets,  and  two  men  also 
stripped  and  lay  by  him,  but  it  was  some  hours  before 
he  recovered  sensation.  All  this  time,  Franklin,  alone 
with  St.  Germain  on  the  other  side,  had,  with  inex- 
pressible anxiety,  been  watching  what  was  going  on. 
Every  minute  it  seemed  as  if  the  canoe  would  be  lost, 
and  that,  he  knew,  meant  immediate  death  to  himself, 
and  the  almost  equally  certain,  if  more  lingering, 
destruction  of  his  companions. 

Most  of  their  meals  consisted  now  of  triipe,  de  roche, 
though  a  deer  was  shot  on  the  15th.  Besides  being  a 
poor  substitute  for  meat,  this  lichen  produced  stomach 
disorders,  from  which  some  of  the  party  suffered  severely. 
Even  of  it  there  was  often  but  little,  and  the  men  grew 
very  faint  and  disheartened,  threatening  to  throw  away 
their  bundles  and  leave  the  officers.  The  canoe,  too,  was 
broken  by  a  fall.  Poor  Hood  was  in  the  worst  plight 
of  all,  and  Franklin  could  no  longer  keep  pace  with  the 


Discipline  and  Mutiny, 


81 


as 
ht 


rest.  Yet  we  find  a  spirited  sketch  of  the  march 
inserted  in  Franklin's  journal,  which  Back  must  have 
made  only  four  days  before  this  time.  And  on  this 
very  day,  when  at  night  the  blankets  did  not  suffice  to 
keep  them  warm,  and  the  slightest  breeze  seemed  to 
pierce  through  them,  Franklin  describes  how  his  party 
passed  their  time  according  to  their  regular  routine. 
After  encamping,  the  first  operation  was  to  thaw  theii 
shoes,  if  a  fire  could  be  lit,  and  put  on  dry  ones.  Each 
officer  then  wrote  notes  of  the  day's  events,  and  prayers 
were  read ;  then  supper  was  eaten,  generally  in  the 
dark,  and  they  went  to  bed,  keeping  up  a  ch^'Tful  con- 
versation till  the  heat  of  their  bodies  thawed  the  blankets 
sufficiently  to  admit  of  sleep.  Often  they  dared  not 
take  off  their  wet  clothes,  for  fear  they  should  freeze. 

On  the  21st  they  discovered  that  they  had  gone  out  of 
their  route,  and  Eichardson,  who  till  then  had  carried  his 
geological  and  botanical  specimens,  was  forced  to  leave 
them  behind.  Next  day  Peltier  refused  to  carry  the 
canoe  any  further,  and  Vaillant  was  told  to  take  it. 
While  Franklin  was  rebuking  and  remonstrating  with 
these  two,  he  missed  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  when  he 
found  them,  they  had  lit  a  fire  with  some  willow 
boughs,  and,  burning  some  bones  of  deer  left  by  wolves 
in  the  spring,  had  eaten  them  and  some  of  their  old 
shoes.  With  them  sat  the  guilty  pair,  Peltier  and 
Vaillant,  who  now  told  Franklin,  to  his  inexpressible 
anguish,  that  the  canoe  had  been  rendered  useless  by 

F 


i 


82 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


another  fall,  and  that  they  had  left  it  behind.  He 
ordered  them  to  fetch  it,  but  they  flatly  refused.  This 
mutinous  misconduct,  to  which  the  chapter  of  horrors 
soon  to  be  recorded  was  chiefly  due,  proved  infectious, 
and  when  the  tracks  of  Back  and  the  hunters  who  had 
been  sent  ahead  were  lost,  the  stronger  men  could  only 
be  prevented  by  the  entreaties  as  well  as  threats  of  the 
officers  from  leaving  the  weaker  to  their  fate.  After 
another  meal  of  old  shoes  and  some  scraps  of  leather, 
they  came  to  some  pines,  and  made  a  good  fire ;  and, 
what  cheered  them  still  more,  five  deer  were  shot.  Hood 
had,  since  Wentzel's  departure,  divided  the  portions 
of  the  meat,  and  done  so  with  the  utmost  impartiality, 
always  taking  the  smallest  portion  for  his  own  mess; 
but  habitual  self-denial  is,  even  among  more  civilised 
beings,  sometimes  impotent  to  satisfy  jealous  greed, 
and  the  hunters  now  grumbled  at  their  shcre.  Every- 
one suffered  from  eating  animal  food  after  such  long 
abstinence — those  who  ate  most,  most  severely.  On 
the  26th  they  reached  the  Coppermine  Eiver,  which, 
however,  the  men  would  not  believe  it  to  be.  They 
were  reduced  to  despair,  and  when  convinced  it  was 
the  Coppermine  River,  and  that  the  rapid  they  were  at 
could  easily  be  crossed  in  a  canoe,  they  bitterly  bewailed 
the  loss  of  the  one  Peltier  and  Vaillant  had  abandoned. 
St.  Germain  said  he  could  not  make  one  large  enough 
of  willow- wood,  and  they  were  forced  to  march  on  in 
the  hopes  of  finding  pines.     Back  and  the  hunters  were 


;^Xi 


Richardson 's  Heroism. 


83 


sent  ou  ahead  avowedly  to  procure  meat,  but  Fraukliu 
told  Back,  if  lie  could  make  a  raft,  to  cross  Toint  Lake 
and  aii])rize  the  Indians  of  the  condition  of  the  party. 

When  Back  was  gone,  Franklin  had  much  dilliculty 
in  keeping  his  men  together.  They  were  beyond  lear 
of  punishment  or  hope  of  reward.  Two  of  them  stole 
part  of  the  portions  of  food  fairly  allotted  to  the  ollicers, 
and  the  hunters  often  secreted  part  of  the  game  they  shot 
for  their  own  eating.  They  plucked  up  some  courage 
after  devouring  a  putrid  deer  which  had  been  found, 
and  went  back  to  the  rapid  to  construct  a  willow 
canoe.  Junius  was  now  missing,  and  no  more  mention 
is  made  of  him  in  Franklin's  journal,  except  that  he 
probably  would  try  to  join  the  Esquimaux  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  Augustus  was  sent  to  inform 
Back  of  the  new  scheme.  A  raft  was  made  of  bundles 
of  willows,  but  being  green  it  would  not  support  more 
than  one  man  at  a  time,  and  how  to  guide  it  was  the 
difficulty.  A  paddle  they  had  was  useless  against  the 
force  of  tlie  wind  which  blew  from  the  opposite  shore, 
and  a  pole  made  of  the  two  tent  props  would  not  reach 
the  bottom.  Richardson  then  most  gallantly  offered  to 
swim  over  with  a  line,  but  bad  gone  a  short  distance 
only  when  his  arms  became  numbed  and  powerless. 
Still  he  persevered,  and  had  almost  got  across  on  his 
back,  when,  to  their  horror,  he  suddenly  sank.  His 
legs  had  become  as  numbed  as  his  arms,  and  so  he 
went  down.     Tliev  hauled  him  back  throu'^h  the  water. 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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">   ;  '    \  '.,  *■'-.■ 


84 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


and  then  treated  him  as  Belanger  had  been  treated. 
But  the  skin  of  the  whole  of  his  left  side  was  deprived 
of  feeling,  in  consequence  of  having  been  exposed  to 
too  great  heat  after  his  immersion,  and  did  not  fully 
recover  sensation  till  the  following  summer.  The 
heroic  self-devotion  displayed  by  Eichardson  may  be 
estimated  by  the  thrill  which  went  through  his 
comrades  when  they  saw  him  stripped,  for  he  was  a 
mere  skeleton,  and  the  aw^e-struck  Canadians  exclaimed 
altogether,  "^A  qiia  nous  sommes  maigres."  He  had, 
moreover,  when  entering  the  water,  stepped  on  a 
dagger,  which  cut  his  foot  to  the  bone. 

Augustus  returned  without  having  seen  Back;  and 
ae  the  wind  still  continued  adverse,  St.  Germain  hit  on 
the  expedient  of  making  a  better  canoe  with  the  canvas 
wrappings  of  the  bedding.  Some  men  were  sent  to 
collect  pitch  from  the  last  pines  they  had  seen,  with 
which  to  pay  over  the  seams ;  and,  meanwhile,  Credit 
brought  in  the  antlers  and  back-bone  of  a  deer.  The 
wolves  had  failed  to  extract  the  spinal  marrow,  and 
this,  though  putrid,  and  so  acrid  as  to  excoriate  the  lips, 
*  was  eaten  with  avidity.  Then  the  bones  themselves 
were  burned  and  eaten.  On  the  3rd  of  October, 
Franklin  tried  to  walk  to  St.  Germain,  in  order  to 
stimulate  him  to  be  quick  with  the  canoe ;  but  though 
the  distance  to  be  traversed  was  only  three-quarters  of 
a  mile,  he  failed  to  perform  it,  after  trying  to  wade 
through  the  snow  for  three  hours,  and  came  back  much 


?.^. 


■..^.  I,     V     M'- 


I 


Desperate  Straits, 


bruised  by  the  many  falls  he  had  had.  The  other 
officers  were  equally  feeble — Hood  being  reduced  to  a 
shadow,  Richardson  lame,  and  Back  unable  to  walk 
without  a  stick.  The  voyagers  were  ratlier  stronger, 
but  from  despair  even  less  capable  of  exertion.  No  one 
felt  the  sensation  of  hunger  any  longer,  but  no  one  was 
able  to  talk  of  hardly  anything  except  eating.  Hepburu 
at  this  crisis  saved  their  lives,  patiently  and  bravely 
gathering  tri'pG  de  roche.  Hood  could  not  eat  this,  and 
a  partridge  reserved  for  him  was  stolen  by  one  of  the  - 
men.  St.  Germain  finished  the  canoe  on  the  4th,  and 
crossed  the  water  first.  Tlien  the  canoe  was  drawn 
back  by  a  line,  and  one  by  one  the  rest  were  hauled 
across  in  it,  but  all  the  clothes  and  bedding  got  wet, 
and  they  could  gather  no  wood  to  dry  them.  Back,  St. 
Germain,  S.  Belanger,  and  Beauparlant  were  at  once 
sent  off  to  find  the  Indians  at  Fort  Enterprise,  or  at 
least  the  letter  which  Wentz  1  had  been  ordered  to 
lea\e  there,  stating  their  whereabouts.  If  St.  Germain 
killed  any  animals,  he  was  to  cacher  them,  and  con- 
spicuously mark  the  place.  The  voyagers  were  greatly 
cheered,  now  they  were  across  the  water,  but  no  fHpe 
de  roche  was  to  be  found,  and  they  -vent  supperless  to 
bed.  Next  morning  they  advanced  slowly  through  the 
snow — Hood,  who  had  become  very  feeble,  walking  in 
the  rear  with  Richardson,  who  helped  him  on  The 
tripe  de  roche  disagreed  with  Credit  and  Vaillant,  as  it 
did  with  Hood,  and  the  former,  when  he  reached  the 


.^^- 


-,  V 


■V 


86 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


camping- place,  was  unable  to  stand.  Nothing  but  tripe 
de  roche  and  some  scraps  of  roasted  leather  was  to  be 
had  for  supper.  On  October  6th,  "  the  whole  party  ate 
the  remains  of  their  old  shoes  and  whatever  scraps  of 
leather  they  had,  to  strengthen  their  stomachs  for  the 
fatigues  of  the  day,"  and  they  crept  on  over  some  hills, 
through  deep  snow,  and  in  a  piercingly  keen  wind. 

About  noon,  Samandrd  announced  that  Credit  and 
Vaillant  could  go  no  further.  Eichardson  went  back, 
but  failed  to  find  Credit.  He  persuaded  Vaillant  to  try 
and  reach  the  fire,  but  after  staggering  a  few  yards  he 
fell,  and  could  not  rise,  or  scarcely  answer  a  question. 
J.  B.  Belanger  went  back  to  Vaillant's  help,  but  found 
him  past  rousing,  and  returned  with  his  load.  The 
strongest  men,  though  implored  to  go  back  and  bring 
him  to  tlie  fire,  said  they  were  unable  to  do  so,  but  at 
the  same  time  begged  to  be  allowed  to  throw  away  their 
loads,  and  get  on  as  fast  as  they  could  to  Fort  Enter- 
prise. This  would  have  been  fatal  to  all,  as  no  officer 
was  fit  to  accompany  them,  and  they  must  have  lost 
their  way.  But  something  had  to  be  done,  so  it  was 
settled  that  Richardson,  with  one  attendant,  should  stay 
with  Hood  at  the  first  place  where  tripe  de  roche  was 
plentiful.  Credit  and  Vaillant,  it  was  hoped,  would 
join  them.  Meanwhile,  Franklin  was  to  push  on  with 
the  rest  to  Fort  Enterprise.  On  that  night  they  had 
little  fire,  and  no  food.  Nor  could  they  sleep  for 
thoughts  of  their  two  poor  comrades  lying  behind  them 


A  Sad  Parting. 


M 


in  the  snow.  On  the  morning  of  October  7th,  they 
came  to  a  place  suitable  for  the  proposed  plan. 
Hepburn  volunteered  to  stay  with  the  two,  and  the 
others,  taking  the  barest  necessaries  with  them,  renewed 
their  march.  In  deep  distress,  Franklin  left  the  friends 
who  had  become  so  dear  to  him,  conscious  that  Hood*s 
motive  for  remaining  was  to  avoid  being  a  burden  on 
the  others,  and  that  Eichardson  and  Hepburn,  with 
characteristic  generosity,  were  determined  to  stand  by 
him  to  the  last.  Who  ever  read  of  self-sacrifice  more 
noble  ?  No  hasty  impuL-^  of  valour  in  the  full  flush  of 
health  and  strength  stirred  them.  No  visions  of  glory 
gilded  for  them  some  sudden  peril  of  death.  It  was  the 
crowning  proof  of  the  greatest  love  that  man  can  show^ 
when,  after  agonies  unspeakable,  they  calmly  put  away 
the  hope  just  dawning,  and  prepared  to  give  their  lives 
for  their  friend.  Such  men's  names  and  memories 
should  never  die. 

Franklin  was  now  alone  with  the  Canadians.  They 
only  had  strength  to  proceed  four  miles  and  a-half,  and 
Michel  and  Belanger  were  left  far  behind.  On  coming 
up,  they  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go  back  to  Richardson, 
and  next  morning,  October  8th,  Franklin  granted  their 
request.  Michel  had  ten  balls  and  some  shot.  He 
was  very  particular  in  asking  the  route  Franklin  would 
take,  and  volunteered  to  say  he  should  go  and  search 
for  Vaillant  and  Crt^dit.  The  rest  of  the  party  again 
essayed  to  march,  but  the  men  were  now  too  weak  to 


•:■:<*  ■■■ 


88 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


raise  the  tent.  It  was  therefore  cut  up,  and  strips 
taken  for  covering.  Hardly  had  this  been  done,  when 
Pcrrault  and  Fontano  became  dizzy.  Tea  was  made, 
and'  this  and  some  scraps  of  burnt  leather  revived 
them ;  but  the  sight  affected  the  other  men,  who 
declared  they  could  move  no  further.  Franklin,  how- 
ever, his  spirit  rising,  as  Kane's  did  in  a  similar 
emergency,  superior  to  bodily  weakness,  so  worked  on 
them  by  his  arguments  and  prayers,  tl.at  they  set  out, 
leaving  Michel  and  Belanger  not  yet  re  idy  to  start  the 
other  way.  For  two  hundred  yards  .hey  advanced, 
and  then  Perrault,  again  becoming  diz;y,  begged  them 
to  halt.  This  they  did,  and  for  ten  ninutes  more  he 
accompanied  them.  Then,  bursting  into  tears,  he  said 
he  was  utterly  exhausted,  and  must  stop.  He  was  told 
to  rejoin  Belanger  and  Michel,  and  with  them  to  make 
his  way  to  Eichardson.  A  lake  was  now  crossed,  but 
the  ice  was  so  smooth,  and  they  so  feeble,  that  the 
wind  kept  blowing  them  down  with  great  force,  so  as 
to  shake  their  whole  frames.  Fontano  was  the  next  to 
give  way.  The  same  symptoms  showed  themselves  as 
in  Perrault's  case,  and  though  overwhelmed  with  grief, 
he  said  he  could  not  go  on.  So  he  too  was  told  to 
follow  the  now  beaten  track  backwards,  and  after 
bidding  each  of  his  friends  a  most  tender  farewell,  be 
set  out,  they  watching  him  as  he  moved  away.  He 
was  an  Italian,  and  had  been  a  soldier,  and  that 
morning  had  talked  to  Franklin  about  his  father,  and 


=-^fi 


Fort  Enterp,nse  at  last. 


89 


his  wish  to  see  home  again,  if  he  should  survive. 
With  indescribable  anguish  Franklin  thus  parted  from 
another  of  his  companions,  of  whom  he  had  now  only 
four  left — Adam,  Peltier,  Bennoit,  and  Samandr^. 

That  day  they  could  gather  no  trij^o  de  roche,  owing 
to  the  severity  of  the  weather,  but  on  the  9tli  they 
gathered  some,  and  enjoyed  the  first  meal  they  had 
had  for  four  days,  having  been  existing  on  scraps  of 
leather  only  during  that  time.  In  the  afternoon  they 
reached  Marten  Lake,  and,  finding  it  frozen,  exulted  at 
being  able  to  keep  straight  on  to  Fort  Enterprise. 
They  encamped  on  the  banks  of  Winter  River,  but 
could  not  make  a  fire  large  enough  to  thaw  their  shoes, 
and  having  no  food,  crept  under  their  blankets.  But 
one  thought  buoyed  them  up — they  were  close  to  Fort 
Enterprise — and  they  chatted  cheerfully  till  they  fell 
asleep.  On  the  10th,  with  much  pain,  caused  by 
frequent  falls  in  a  stony  valley,  they  obtained  some 
pine  wood,  and,  making  a  good  fire,  drank  some  herb 
tea,  and  ate  some  of  their  shoes.  Then  they  lay  down 
full  of  thankfulness,  for  on  the  morrow  they  felt  sure 
they  would  reach  the  Fort,  where  once  moro  they 
hoped  to  revel  in  shelter  and  food,  and  above  all,  to 
be  able  to  send  help  to  the  friends  they  had  left 
behind  them.  The  morrow  came.  They  could  not 
as  usual  talk,  but  walked  on  in  silence. 

"  Their  very  hopes  belied  their  fears,  tlieir  fears  their  hopes 
belied." 


t 


V 


90 


Sif    7c/m  Fra7iklin. 


They  reached  the  Fort.  Alas!  it  was  desolate.  No 
food  was  in  it.  No  letter  from  Wentzel.  Not  a  trace 
of  the  Indians.  All  four  of  the  poor  fellows  burst 
into  tears,  less  for  themselves  than  for  Hood  and 
Hepburn  and  Kichardson,  whose  fate  they  felt  was 
sealed. 

A  note  from  Back  was  found,  saying  that  he  was 
going  to  search  for  the  Indians,  and  if  he  could  not  find 
them,  attempt  to  reach  Fort  Providence.  Franklin 
himself  determined  to  go  in  search  of  them,  but  first  it 
was  necessary  to  recruit  his  strength.  The  parchment 
had  been  torn  from  the  windows,  and  the  wind  whistled 
through  the  room.  But  they  placed  planks  across,  and 
were  overjoyed  to  find  some  deer-skins  and  bones  on 
which  they  could  subsist  for  a  time.  For  firing,  they 
pulled  up  the  floor  of  the  other  rooms.  For  water,  they 
melted  the  snow.  And  while  supper  was  being  pre- 
pared, Augustus  came  in,  having  made  his  way  alone 
over  a  country  he  had  never  traversed  before.  Next 
morning  Franklin  was  so  swollen  as  to  be  unable  to 
walk  more  than  a  few  yards,  and  Adam  could  not  rise 
without  help.  The  others  gathered  triipe  de  roche,  and 
with  the  bones  a  soup  was  concocted,  which,  though  it 
excoriated  the  mouth,  seemed  palatable  to  these 
starving  men.  On  the  13th,  S.  Belanger  arrived, 
brinuinjj  a  note  from  Back,  who  had  failed  to  find  the 
Indians,  and  asked  for  instructions.  Belanger  came  in 
almost  speechless,  and  coated  with  ice,  having  fallen 


/ 


r,:--^ 


,A- 


A  Forlorn  Hope. 


9i 


into  a  rapid,  and  for  the  third  time  narrowly  escaped 
drowning.  His  comrades  nursed  him  tenderly,  the 
soup  and  warmth  having  apparently  much  improved 
their  morale,  for  they  were  no  louger  intent  on  self- 
preservation,  or  impatient,  and  had  given  up  swearing. 
Belanger  himself,  however,  behaved  badly.  He  would 
not  describe  where  Back  was,  his  reason  being,  as  was 
discovered  next  day,  that  he  feared  any  addition  to 
Back's  party  would  lessen  his  share  of  what  St. 
Germain  might  kill.  He  also  tried  to  entice  away  the 
hunter,  Adam,  with  the  only  kettle  there  was  in  the 
house,  without  which  its  inmates  could  not  have  lived 
two  days.  So  sadly  had  hardships  corrifpted  an  ordi- 
narily diligent  and  well-behaved  man.  Adam  was 
much  too  ill  to  walk,  and,  as  Peltier  and  Samandr^ 
volunteered  to  stay  with  him,  Franklin,  Bennoit,  and 
Augustus  set  out  to  look  for  the  Indians,  Back  having 
been  told  by  letter  to  make  for  Reindeer  Lake.  The 
leader  neglected  no  duty  before  he  went.  He  packed 
up  the  journals  of  the  party,  with  a  letter  for  the 
Under-Secretarj  of  State,  which  he  told  the  men  in  the 
house  to  forward  by  the  Indians.  Another  letter  he 
left  for  Richardson  and  Hood.  He  made  the  three 
promise  to  eat  two  meals  every  day,  and  to  send  the 
first  Indians  who  came  to.  Richardson's  assistance. 
And  then,  when  the  hour  came  to  face  again  the 
terrible  perils  of  the  way  without  the  comrades  who  so 
long  had  shared  them,  "  no  language,"  says  Franklin, 


.? 


92 


Sir  yohn  Franfdm, 


"  that  I  can  use  could  adequately  describe  the  parting 
scene."  Ho  was,  however,  soon  back  again  with  them, 
having  broken  his  snow-shoes  the  following  day,  so  as 
to  be  unable  to  keep  up  with  Jknnoit  and  Augustus,  to 
whom  he  gave  a  note  to  Back,  asking  liini  to  send  meat 
from  Reindeer  Lake.  He  found  Saniandre  prostrate 
with  despair,  and  Peltier  doing  all  the  labour  of  collect- 
ing wood.  Franklin  became  cook,  but  was  too  weak 
to  pound  the  bones,  so  Peltier  did  that  as  well  as 
collect  wood.  Adam  and  Samandrd  would  not  quit 
their  beds,  and  shed  tears  all  day  long. 

At  this  point  in  Franklin's  journal  we  find  three 
days  omitted — a  fact  of  terrible  significance.  All  four 
grew  gradually  weaker.  So  hard  was  it  to  rise  when 
once  they  W:!re  seated,  that  frequently  they  had  to  lift 
each  other  up.  Yet  still  their  talk  continued  checrrul. 
Peltier  began  to  pull  down  the  partitions  of  the  next 
house  for  firewood.  Though  he  had  only  to  go  twenty 
yards,  the  labour  exhausted  him  so  much  that  soon  he 
could  scarcely  lift  his  hatchet,  and  on  the  29th  could 
only  cut  a  few  pieces  of  wood.  Luckily  some  bark  was 
found  to  kindle  a  fire.  A  herd  of  reindeer  was  seen, 
but  even  if  they  had  been  within  reach,  not  a  man 
could  have  fired  a  gun  without  resting  it.  That 
evening,  as  they  sat  round  the  fire,  Peltier  exclaimed, 
"Ah,lewonde."  The  Indians,  he  fancied,  were  in  the 
other  room.  The  next  moment  Richardson  and  Hep- 
burn walked  in.     Peltier  was  at  first  too  disappointed 


\ 


'     '/ 


\ 


Return  of  Richardson, 


93 


to  speak.  Franklin  was  full  of  dreadful  forebodings, 
which  llichardson's  first  words  realised.  Hood  was 
dead.  Michel  was  dead.  Terrault  and  Fontano  had 
neither  been  seen  nor  heard  of.  The  new-comers  were 
shocked  at  the  skeleton-like  appearance  of  the  men  in 
the  house,  who,  in  their  turn,  beheld  with  dismay  that 
Eichardson  and  Hepburn  were  mere  skin  and  bone. 
The  Doctor  begged  his  friends  not  to  speak  in  such  a 
sepulchral  tone,  not  knowing  that  his  own  was  pitched 
in  the  same  key.  Hepburn  had  shot  a  partridge,  which 
was  divided  into  seven  portions  and  ravenously  devtured, 
being  the  first  flesh  they  had  tasted  for  thirty-one  days. 
Eichardson  did  all  he  could  to  rouse  his  comrades,  and 
next  day  went  out  after  deer  with  Hepburn.  They 
were  unsuccessful,  however,  though  the  gallant  Hepburn 
stayed  out  till  late.  But  they  collected  more  deerskins 
from  the  snow,  and  in  the  evening,  after  supper, 
Eichardson  told  Franklin  the  following  horrible 
narrative,  which  till  then  he  had  apparently  dreaded  to 
relate. 


:^s^^  M^ 


ilivaiu  '^sindaiiq 


t        /• 


(     '■ 


■f-Tt. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

franklin's  first  expedition  (continueu). 

Kichaidson's  Narrative — Murder  of  Hood — Michel  shot — Ftarfrl 
Suft'erings  at  Fort  Enterprise — Death  of  Peltier  aud  of  Sanmndi^ 
— The  Indians  come — The  Party  reach  Akaitcho'a  Camp — Back's 
Adventures — Death  of  Beauparlant — Return  to  England. 

WHEN  Franklin  had  departed,  Eichardson,  Hood, 
and  Hepburn  sat  by  the  fire  as  long  as  it  lasted, 
and  then  went  to  bed,  where  they  remained  all  next 
day,  reading  to  each  other  portions  of  some  religious 
books  which  a  lady  in  London  had  given  them,  and  so 
comforted  by  their  trust  in  an  omnipresent  Being  that 
they  felt  their  situation  to  be  no  longer  destitute,  and 
talked  cheerily,  confiding  to  each  other  their  past  lives, 
and  speaking  of  the  future  with  hope.  "  Had  my  poor 
friend,"  says  Eichardson,  "been  spared  to  re-visit  his 
native  land,  I  should  look  back  to  this  period  with 
unalloyed  delight."  The  day  after  this  conversation, 
Michel,  the  Iroquois,  came  in.  He  said  he  had  missed 
his  way,  and  passed  the  night  on  the  snow,  and  that 
J.  B.  Belanger  had  left  the  fire  before  him,  and  must 


\ 


(     '■ 


t 


Michers  Villainy, 


95 


also,  as  ho  had  not  arrived,  have  missed  his  way.  He 
produced  a  hare  and  partridge,  wliicli  they  received 
with  intense  gratitude.  As  he  complained  of  cold, 
Hood  said  he  would  share  his  buffalo  robe  with  him  at 
night.  liichardson  gave  liim  one  of  his  two  shirts,  and 
Hepburn  exclaimed,  "  How  I  shall  love  this  man  if  I 
find  that  he  does  not  tell  lies,  like  the  others!"  a 
remark  which  speaks  volumes  about  "the  others." 
Michel  next  day  conducted  them  straight  to  tlie  pines 
where  he  had  left  Franklin,  as  being  better  camping- 
ground;  and  they  did  not  notice  that  lie  must  there- 
fore have  lied  in  saying  he  had  lost  his  way  in  coming 
thence.  They  left  him  there  at  his  own  desire,  but 
were  obliged  themselves  to  return  for  one  night  to 
their  first  encampment,  as  they  had  been  unable  to 
carry  everything  away  in  one  journey.  They  did  not 
find  Michel  when  tliey  again  reached  the  pines.  When 
he  did  come  in,  he  produced  part  of  what  he  said  was  a 
wolf,  which  he  had  found  pierced  by  a  deer's  horn. 
They  did  not  guess  then,  but  soon  afterwards  became 
convinced,  that  this  was  in  reality  part  of  the  body  of 
Perrault  or  Belanger,  whom  this  accursed  Iroquois  had 
murdered  and  chopped  up  with  his  hatchet.  Probably 
he  had  slain  Belanger  when  Perrault  came  up,  and 
then,  to  prevent  detection,  had  killed  him  too.  This 
was  why  he  had  asked  for  a  hatchet  the  night  before, 
and  insisted  on  staying  alone  at  the  pines.  His 
conduct,  however,  soon  excited  suspicion.    He  would 


.■v 


96 


Sir  Johi  Franklin, 


-'■U 


not  sleep  in  the  tent  at  night,  nor  accept  Eichardson's 
company  when  he  went  hunting,  and  when  he  went 
hunting  himself,  came  back  very  soon.  He  also  said 
he  wished  lie  had  gone  with  Franklin,  and  would 
go  now  if  he  knew  the  way.  In  vain  they  tried  to 
sootlie  him.  He  grew  very  surly,  and  would  neitlier 
cut  wood  nor  hunt.  So  Eicliardson  thought  it  best 
to  promise  that,  if  he  would  hunt  diligently  for 
four  days,  he  would  send  him  with  Hepburn  to 
Franklin. 

Hood  now  became  rapidly  weaker ;  the  least  breeze 
seemed  to  blow  through  lum,  and  though  Eichardson 
lay  close  to  him  at  night,  the  heat  of  their  bodies  could 
not  thaw  the  frozen  rime  on  the  blankets  formed  by 
their  breath.  Still  he  never  complained,  and  spoke 
hopefully  of  h.,  future  prospects.  Each  in  fact  felt 
that  he  dared  not  speak,  or  think  of  the  horrors  of  his 
present  state,  lest  he  should  go  mad,  for  the  mind's 
strength  had  decayed  with  that  of  tlie  body.  On  the 
19Lh,  Michel  again  refused  to  hunt,  and,  growing  angry 
at  their  remonstrances,  made  this  significant  remark, 
"  It  is  no  use  hunting.  There  are  no  animals.  You 
had  better  kill  and  eat  me."  On  the  20th,  a  similar 
scene  occurred,  and  Eichardson,  going  out  to  gather 
tripe  de  roche,  left  Hood  sitting  in  front  of  the  tent 
arguing  with  Michel.  Suddenly  he  heard  a  shot,  and 
the  next  minute  Hepburn  called  out  to  him  to  come  at 
once.     He  did  so,  and  found  Hood  shot  through  the 


v, 


>  ■ , 


Death  of  Hood, 


?7 


his 

nd's 

the 

aik, 


bead.  At  first  he  thought  the  poor  fellow  had  com- 
mitted suicide,  but  Michel's  behaviour  excited  other 
suspicions,  which  grew  stronger  when  he  found  the  shot 
had  entered  at  the  back  of  the  head.  Being  questioned, 
Michel  said  Hood  had  sent  him  into  the  tent  for 
another  gun,  and  that  the  long  gun  went  off  whi!3  he 
was  inside.  But  Hepburn  had  heard  angry  words,  and, 
directly  the  shot  was  fired,  had  seen  Michel  rise  before 
the  tent  just  behind  Hood.  Michel  did  not  call  to 
him  for  some  time,  and  he  suspected  nothing,  thinking 
the  gun  was  only  fired  to  clean  it.  The  man's  own 
behaviour  condemned  him.  Though  not  charged  with 
the  murder,  he  went  on  saying  he  was  incapable  of 
such  an  act,  and  would  not  leave  the  two  Englishmen 
by  themselves  for  a  moment.  All  that  could  be  done 
at  present  was  to  remove  the  body  to  a  clump  of 
willows  hard  by,  for  they  could  not  bury  it,  and  sadly 
read  the  funeral  service  by  the  tent  fire.  Eichardson 
— a  doctor,  it  must  be  remembered — says  that  Hood 
had  suffered  more  than  any  one  of  the  survivors,  and 
speaks  of  the  patience  and  fortitude  with  which  he 
sustained  "  unparallelled  bodily  sufferings,"  Some  of 
the  sketches  which  illustrate  Franklin's  narrative 
evince  the  skill  and  taste  of  the  ardent  young 
Englishman  thus  foully  murdered. 

Meanwhile,  the  assassin  was  gradually  throwing 
aside  the  mask.  He  said  he  would  not  go  to  the  Fort — 
kept  muttering  to  himself — tried  to  get  them  to  go  to 


"■•■■■ 


'V. 


■■r--] 


98 


Str  yohn  Franklin, 


tho  woods,  wliere  he  said  he  could  maintain  himself  all 
the  winter — threatened  He^^'  urn,  and  said  he  hated  the 
Freiich  (by  which  phrase  he  meant  the  white  people), 
^ho  had  killed  and  eaten  his  uncle  and  two  of  his 
relations.  It  was  clear  that  they  must  kill  him,  or  he 
would  kill  them,  and  at  the  first  moment  he  left;  them 
together,  Hepburn  offered  to  do  the  deed.  But  if  it 
was  to  be  done,  Eichardson  felt  he  must  take  the 
responsibility  on  himself,  and  when  Michel  returned, 
he  shot  him  with  a  pistol  through  the  head.  The  one 
genuine  pleasure  which  the  reader  of  this  story  feels  is 
that  that  pistol  did  not  miss  its  aim.  The  rest  of 
Richardson's  narrative  is  soon  told.  He  and  Hepburn 
repeatedly  sank  under  the  load  of  their  blankets,  when 
each  would  help  the  other  to  rise.  They  found  the 
spine  of  a  deer,  and  fed  on  the  acrid  marrow. 
Richardson  became  so  feeble  that,  when  "^he  track  lay 
through  some  large  stones,  he  fell  more  than  twenty 
times,  and  at  last  could  not  stand.  But  the  staunch 
Hepburn,  exerting  himself  beyond  his  strength,  lit  a 
fire  speedily,  and  saved  his  life.  They  became  so  dazed 
by  fatigue  and  want  of  food  that  they  lost  their  way 
when  quite  near  the  Fort,  which  at  last  thej^  reached, 
as  already  related. 

Fontano,  Credit,  Perrault,  J.  B.  Belanger,  Michel, 
and  Hood  had  thus  perished.  But  death  had  not  yet 
done  his  work.  On  November  1st,  Peltier  could  not 
eat  any  tripe,  de  rochCy  owing  to  the  soreness  of  his 


More  Deaths. 


99 


his  bed, 


the 


lay 
mty 
mcTi 
lit  a 
lazed 


seeming 


ly 


throat.  He  slid  from  his  stool  upon 
to  sleep.  Two  hours  later,  his  companions  were  alarmed 
at  hearing  tlie  death-rattle  in  his  throat,  and  lie  died 
during  the  night,  and  so  did  Samandri''.  They  were 
too  weak  to  bury  the  bodies,  or  even  cari'y  them  to  the 
river.  All  their  united  strength  could  effect  was  to 
remove  them  to  the  next  room.  Both  men  were  in 
the  end  killed  by  mental  despondency  acting  on 
enfeebled  frames.  Peltier  had  fixed  on  the  Ist  as 
the  day  after  which  he  should  cease  to  expect  the 
Indians,  and  as  tlie  day,  therefore,  of  his  own  death. 
Samandre  gave  up  all  hope  on  witnessing  Peltier's  fate. 
Peltier  was  mourned  by  all,  having  won  their  warm 
regard  by  his  cheerfulness,  activity,  and  tender  care  of 
the  sick. 

The  loss  of  his  two  comrades  terribly  affected  Adam, 
who  hal  been  plucking  up  health  and  spirits  before. 
He  could  no  longer  bring  in  the  wood,  and  Franklin  was 
forced  to  be  with  him  constantly,  talking  to  cheer  him, 
and  lying  by  his  side  at  night.  In  this  dark  hour  the 
superiority  of  nioiO.!  over  physical  qualities  was  strik- 
ingly illustrated,  as  the  hunters  were  naturally  of  course 
hardier  men  than  the  English,  because  seasoned  to  the 
country.  But  though  still  "  full  of  hope,"  Eichardson 
and  Hepburn  began  to  give  way,  and  could  only  collect 
wood  enough  to  build  up  the  fire  thrice  in  the  day. 
The  labour  of  separating  the  hair  from  the  deer-skins 
had  become  so  wearisome  that  they  ate  less  than  they 


\ 


■T,  .f  ;-■■■.■■      -y-^ 


100 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


it 

I! 
I 


i-i 


would  otherwise  have  done.  Matters  grew  daily  M'orse 
and  worse.  On  the  6th,  Adam  could  scarcely  eat 
Hepburn  was  half-an-hour  in  cutting  a  piece  o(  wood 
which  it  had  taken  the  Doctor  another  half-hour  to 
drag  thirty  yards.  They  were  all  covered  with  sores 
from  lying  on  the  floor,  yet  so  weak  as  to  find  turning 
as  they  lay  a  labour.  In  sleep  only  were  they  happy, 
dreaming  often  about  feasting.  When  awake,  they 
talked  of  anything  rather  than  their  sufferings  or  of  the 
chance  of  relief.  They  became  pettish  as  their  minds 
grew  weaker,  and  each  thought  the  other's  intellect 
weaker  i,han  his  own.  One  would  recommend  another 
to  remove  to  a  warmer  place,  and  would  fretfully  chide 
him  if,  from  dread  of  moving,  he  did  not  stir.  Then  he 
would  feel  compunction  and  express  regret,  but  directly 
afterwards  would  be  as  fretful  as  before.  No  one,  for 
instance,  could  carry  wood  to  the  fire  well  without 
help,  but  each  was  offended  if  offered  it.  Once  Hep- 
burn said — "Dear  me,  if  we  are  spared  to  return  to 
Enaland,  I  wonder  if  we  shall  recover  our  understand- 
ings.''  But  it  is  darkest  before  dawn,  and  at  last  the 
worst  was  over.  On  November  7th,  as  Adam  was 
almost  speechless,  Franklin  remained  in  bed  wich  him 
to  try  and  cheer  him.  All  of  a  sudden  he  heard  a  noise, 
which  he  thought  must  be  the  house  falling  in  on 
Hepburn  and  Eichardson,  who  were  cutting  wood. 
But  it  was  not.  It  was  a  m.usket  shot.  It  was  the 
Indians. 


-I' 


I' 


Relief  at  last. 


101 


to 


The  food  they  brought  was  too  eagerly  devoured  by 
all  but  Adam,  who  could  not  feed  himself,  and  they 
suffered  dreadfully  in  consequence  all  night.  He 
steadily  revived.  Richardson  cautioned  them  to  be 
moderate,  but  was  unable  to  practise  what  he  preached. 
Hope,  however,  was  too  potent  a  healer  to  be  cheated 
now.  A'  note  was  at  once  returned  by  one  of  the 
Indians,  telling  Back  to  send  more  meat.  Two  remained 
to  look  after  the  sick.  To  the  feeble  eyes  that  watched 
them,  they  seemed  gigantic  figures  of  supernatural 
strength  and  activity.  They  prevailed  on  their  patients 
to  wash  and  shave.  Strength  revived  so  rapidly  with 
plenty  of  food,  that  the  weather  seemed  to  have  grown 
milder  in  proportion  as  they  acquired  greater  resistance 
vo  the  coM.  There  was  a  temporary  relapse  when  it 
was  found  that  the  Indians  had  stolen  away  with  the 
intention  of  going  to  Akaitcho  for  more  help,  and 
Adam  again  became  very  desponding ;  but  on  the  15th 
auother  party  of  Indians  arrived  with  Bennoit,  and  a 
note  from  Back,  who  was  preparing  to  go  to  Fort 
Providence.  It  was  on  the  16th  that  the  whole  body 
finally  left  Fort  Enterp  ise,  and  by  dint  of  most  tender 
care  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  who  gave  them  their  own 
snow  shoes,  lifted  them  when  they  fell,  cooked  for  them, 
and  fed  them  like  children,  they  reached  Akaitcho's  camp 
on  the  26th.  They  were  received  in  profound  silence, 
and  with  every  demonstration  of  heartfelt  compassion, 
Akaitcho  cooking  for  them  with  his  own  hands.     His 


\ 


3ZZ: 


102 


:t7' 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


'» 


brothers  and  Augustus  were  with  him  iu  perfect 
health. 

On  the  6th  of  December,  S.  Belanger  arrived  from 
Fort  Providence,  bringing  some  spivHs  and  tobacco  for 
the  Indians,  a  change  of  dress  for  the  Englishmen,  some 
tea  and  sugar,  letters  from  England,  and  from  Back  and 
Wentzel.  They  now  heard  of  Parry's  successful 
voyage,  of  the  promotions  of  Franklin,  Back,  and  Hood, 
of  the  union  of  the  two  rival  Companies,  of  the  non- 
arriva^  at  Fort  Providence  of  tlie  goods  which  had  been 
ordered  thither  as  rewards  for  Akaitcho,  and  of  the 
hardships  undergone  by  Wentzel  and  his  band  on  their 
march  along  the  Coppermine  Eiver,  tliey  having 
lived  entirely  on  trVjye  de  roche  for  eleven  days.  Then 
they  enjoyed  the  intense  luxury  of  changing  their  linen, 
which  they  had  worn  for  nearly  three  monr  j  and 
a-half. 

Leaving  Akaitcho  on  the  8th,  they  reached  Fort 
Providence  on  the  11th,  where  Weeks  partly  atoned 
for  his  previous  misconduct  by  tlie  hearty  welcome  he 
gave  them.  Here  they  waited  till  Akaitcho  came,  in 
order  to  make  him  a  present  of  such  goods  as  could  be 
collected  from  Moose  Deer  Island.  Akaitcho  came  on 
the  14th,  and,  so  far  from  being  sulky  at  the  smallness 
of  the  present,  expressed  himself  with  great  magna- 
nimity. "The  world,"  he  said,  "goes  badly.  All  are 
poor;  you  are  poor;  the  traders  appear  to  be  poor;  I 
and  my  party  are  poor  likewise,  and  since  the  goods 


/'/ 


r-y 


r 


Akaitcho^s  Generosity, 


103 


liave  not  come  in,  we  cannot  have  them.  I  do  not 
regret  having  supplied  you  with  provisions,  for  a 
Copper  Indian  can  never  permit  white  men  to  suffer 
from  want  of  food  on  his  lands,  without  flying  to  their 
aid.  I  trust,  however,  that  we  shall,  as  you  say,  receive 
wliat  is  due  next  autumn ;  and,  at  all  events,  it  is  the 
fiist  time  that  the  white  people  have  been  indebted  to 
the  Copper  Indians.  I  know,"  he  proceeded,  "you 
write  down  every  occurrence  in  your  books,  but  pro- 
bably you  have  only  noticed  the  bad  things  we  have 
said  and  done,  and  have  omitted  to  mention  the  good." 
So  he  begged  them  to  represent  him  as  favourably  a^ 
possible  to  their  countrymen,  and  incidentally  remarked 
t-hat  they  had  always  spoken  well  of  the  traders  to  him. 
This  must  have  been  a  humiliating  thing*  for  Weeks  to 
hear,  as  it  completely  demolished  the  only  defence — a 
mean  and  paltry  one  at  best — he  could  offer  for  his 
conduct  in  spreading  mischievous  reports  about  the 
expedition.  Adam  was  now  discharged,  being  anxious 
to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Copper  Indians.  The  th.ree 
Englishmen,  after  a  warm  farewell  from  Akaitcho,  set 
out,  with  Bennoit,  Belanger,  and  Augustus,  for  Moose 
Deer  Island,  arrivrd  on  the  18th  of  December,  1821,  and 
stayed  there  till  May  the  following  year.  At  Moose 
Deer  Island  Back  was  once  more  re-united  to  his 
friends,  and  he  had  a  tale  to  tell  almost  as  harrowing  as 
their  own. 
He  was  sent,  it  will  be  recollected,  by  Franklin  to 


% 


mm 


104 


Str  John  Franklin, 


Fort  Enterprise,  in  company  with  St.  Germain,  Belanger, 
and  Beauparlant,  on  October  the  4th.  They  only 
advanced  four  miles  that  day,  what  with  wind,  snow, 
and  swampy  ground,  and  at  night  supped  on  iri'pc  de 
rocJie  and  old  leather.  Their  first  serious  accident  was 
Belanger's  breaking  through  tlie  ice,  and  being  in 
danger  of  freezing,  but  luckily  they  found  brushwood 
enough  to  build  a  fire,  by  which  he  was  dried.  Back 
was  very  weak  and  sore  at  the  joints,  especially  between 
the  shoulders — so  much  so,  that  he  was  forced  to  use  a 
stick  to  extend  his  arms,  as  he  could  not  bear  them  to 
remain  hanging  down  for  long  together.  In  the  after- 
noon they  devoured  .^n  old  pair  of  leather  trousers.  On 
reaching  Marten  Lake  they  found  it  frozen,  but  the 
men  did  not  recognise  it  for  some  time.  When  per- 
suaded of  its  identity,  they  all  exclaimed.  •  Mon  Dicu, 
nous  sommes  sativh"  The  luckless  Belanger  again  fell 
through  the  ice  in  deeper  water,  and  was  only  rescued 
by  their  fastening  their  worsted  belts  together  and 
hauling  him  out.  They  then  forced  him  on  as  fast  as 
his  froaen  clothes  would  allow  till  they  reached  some 
pines.  But  though  he  sat  so  near  the  fire  as  twice  to 
set  his  hair  alight,  he  did  not  get  warm  till  nightfall. 
On  the  8th  they  were  too  weak  to  make  headway 
against  the  wind,  which  kept  blowing  them  over,  so 
they  encamped  under  some  pines,  and  regaled  them- 
selves on  a  pair  of  old  shoes  and  a  gun-cover.  Crawling 
on,  only  buoyed  up  by  one  thought,  that  Fort  Enter- 


back's  Story, 


105 


prise  was  at  hand,  they  reached  that  spot  on  the  9th. 
The  appalling  spectacle  of  a  deserted  house,  which  had 
evidently  been  the  resort  of  wild  animals,  met  their 
gaze,  and  affected  them  as  it  did  Franklin  afterwards. 
Hunger  for  once  proved  a  blessing,  for  they  could,  after 
the  first  shock,  think  only  of  satisfying  that.  After 
their  meals  of  shoes,  gun-cover o,  and  trousers,  a  deer's 
neck  which  they  found  was  a  dainty  dish.  Kesting  for 
a  day,  they  set  out  to  search  for  the  Indians,  intending 
to  follow  the  deei  into  the  woods,  so  long  as  that  did 
not  take  them  out  of  their  route,  and  so  collect  food 
enough  to  last  till  they  reached  Fort  Providence.  On 
the  13th  and  14th,  the  same  terribly  terse  entry  occurs 
in  Back's  journal,  "  we  had  nothing  to  eat,"  reminding 
one  of  Johnson's  celebrated  Tuu8  im'pransus.  St. 
Germain  was  an  unsatisfactory  hunter,  and,  in  uncer- 
tainty what  to  do.  Back  despatched  Belanger  to  Fort 
Enterprise,  as  before  related,  for  instructions.  He 
himself  was  to  wait  till  he  returned  at  a  place  four 
miles  further  on,  where  he  hoped  to  catch  some  fish. 
While  Beauparlant  was  cutting  fuel,  his  face  became  so 
swollen  that  he  could  hardly  see.  Back  lost  his 
temper  on  the  most  trivial  occasions,  and  was  become 
very  peevish.  His  shoulders  were  as  if  they  would  fall 
from  his  body.  His  legs  seemed  unable  to  support 
him.  He  would  sooner  have  staved  where  he  was,  at 
all  risks,  if  his  duty  to  his  fr.ends  had  not  nerved 
liim  to  move.      As    it   was,  he  could  only  traverse 


106 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


three-quarters    of    a    mile    before    he   was   forced   to 
eucamp. 

On  the  16th,  while  trying  to  march  the  remaining 
three  miles  to  their  destination,  Beauparlant  said  he 
was  much  weaker,  to  which  no  attention  was  paid,  as 
each  felt  the  same  thing.  A  little  further  on,  he  said 
be  should  never  get  beyond  the  next  encampment,  and 
asked  where  it  was  to  be.  St.  Germain  pointed  to  a 
clump  of  pines  ahead.  "Well,"  said  Beauparlant, 
"take  your  axe,  Mr.  Back,  and  I  will  follow  at  my 
leisure.  I  shall  join  you  by  the  time  the  encampment 
is  made."  St.  Germain  spied  some  crows  on  some  pine 
tops,  and  said  there  must  be  a  dead  animal  near.  Soon 
the  cry,  "  Oh,  merciful  God,  we  are  saved !"  broke  from 
their  lips,  as  they  saw  several  heads  of  deer  half-buried 
in  the  snow  and  ice,  eyeless  and  tongueless  indeed,  but 
otherwise  saved  from  the  wolves  by  the  previous  hard 
weather.  St.  Germain  made  the  camp.  Back  was  too 
far  spent  to  help  him.  But  for  the  meat,  he  says,  he 
must  have  perished  within  twenty-four  hours.  As  it 
was,  the  sight  of  it  so  stimulated  him,  that,  with 
incredible  exertion,  he  carried  several  of  the  heads,  one 
by  one,  thirty  paces  to  the  fire.  It  grew  dark,  auc 
Beauparlant  did  not  arrive.  So  they  fired  guns,  and 
shouted  to  him,  and  he  fired,  and  called  faintly  in 
return.  St.  Germain  refused  to  return  for  him,  as  he 
said  he  should  never  make  his  way  back.  They  could 
only   hope   that,    having    Back's   blanket  and   means 


Deauparlant^s  Death, 


107 


for  lighting  a  fire,  he  had  encamped.  They  had  no 
sleep  that  night,  suffering  excruciating  tornieuts  from 
having  eaten  too  much  meat,  though  ]]ack  did  not  eat 
one-quarter  of  what  would  have  satisfied  him.  Next 
morning  he  sent  St.  Germain  back  for  Beauparlant 
while  he  prepared  breakfast.  With  tears  in  his  eyes, 
St.  Germain  came  back  saying  that  Beauparlant  was 
dead,  that  he  had  found  him  on  a  sand-bauk  frozen  to 
death,  with  his  limbs  enormously  swollen,  and  as  hard 
as  ice.  Back  suppressed  his  own  emotions  to  avoid 
depressing  his  companion;  but  he  felt  their  situation 
to  be  almost  hopeless,  the  more  so  that,  as  Belanger 
had  not  returned,  he  felt  some  great  calamity  hf»d 
probably  happened. 

At  length,  on  the  18th,  they  saw  Belanger  tottering 
round  a  point.  He  was  just  able  to  say  that  five,  with 
the  Captain,  were  at  the  house,  and  the  rest  at  the 
river,  but  was  too  weak  to  tell  the  whole  tale.  When 
he  partially  recovered,  his  news  set  St.  Germain  crying, 
and  Back,  who  had  shown  more  composure  during  the 
recital,  when  he  received  Franklin's  letter,  and  read  the 
same  story  "  in  another  language,  mingled  with  the 
pious  resignation  of  a  good  man,"  could  bear  up  no 
longer,  and  gave  way  to  his  grief.  Belanger,  too,  was 
greatly  affected  at  Beauparlant's  death,  but  that  and 
every  other  feeling  was  absorbed  by  his  present  crave 
for  food.  He  ate  for  two  hours — chiefly  skin  and 
sinews — and  then  complained  of  hunger.     Back  now 


108 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


111     I 


proposed  to  go  to  Reindeer  Lake,  but  both  men  refused 
})oint  blank.  St.  Germain  said  he  did  not  know  the 
way,  and  they  declared  they  would  stay  where  they 
were  till  they  had  recovered  their  strength.  Being 
quite  helpless,  he  was  forced  to  acquiesce,  and  from 
the  19th  to  the  25th  they  did  nothing  but  collect  such 
scraps  of  skin  and  bone  as  they  could,  as  provisions  for 
the  way.  Even  these  he  could  scarcely  induce  them  to 
husband,  as  they  would  snatch  the  piece  nearest  them 
the  moment  his  back  was  turned,  and  swallow  it  raw. 
He  was  the  weakest  of  the  three,  and  the  soles  of  his 
feet  were  cracked  all  over,  but  he  constantly  urged  his 
companions  to  rejoin  Franklin,  who  he  now  concluded 
was  at  or  on  his  way  to  Fort  Providence.  At  last 
they  were  persuaded  to  set  out,  and  they  came  on  the 
track  of  the  party  with  which  Franklin  had  started^ 
but  from  which  he  had  returned  to  Fort  Enterprise. 
The  marks  of  the  encampment  were  so  small  that  Back 
augured  some  great  disaster,  but  the  men  absolutely 
refused  to  turn  back  to  Fort  Enterprise  to  see  what 
had  happened,  and  the  distress  of  mind  he  was  in, 
Added  to  his  bodily  weakness,  which  was  now  aggra- 
vated by  a  frozen  face,  almost  prevented  him  from 
proceeding  at  all.  But  now  help  was  at  hand.  On 
November  3rd,  a  cry  was  heard  from  Belanger,  who 
was  ahead — "  Footsteps  of  Indians."  St.  Germain  was 
sent  on  their  tracks,  and  in  the  evening  an  Indian  boy 
brought  meat,  and  that  note  which  Franklin  had  sent 


WentzeVs  Defence, 


loa 


by  I»cinioit  and  Auj^ustus.  IJack  soon  readied  Akaitcho, 
and  early  next  morning  a  cargo  of  meat  was  sent  off  to 
Fort  Enterprise.  Tlie  Indian  who  returned  thence  at 
first  said  that  all  of  the  party  were  dead.  Subsequently 
he  produced  Franklin's  note,  and  Jiack,  after  arranging 
for  further  supplies  being  sent  to  the  Fort,  set  out 
himself  for  Fort  Providence. 

Little  now  remains  to  be  told  of  this  memorable 
expedition.  It  was  extremely  gratifying  to  Franklin 
to  be  able  to  pay  Akaitcho  in  full  before  ho  left  the 
Great  Slave  Lake,  the  mor<3  so  as  the  Indians  were  in 
great  distress.  On  the  2nd  of  June,  he  reached  Fort 
Chipewyan,  and  met  Wentzel,  who  accounted  for  not 
fulfilling  his  orders  in  the  following  way : — "  Humpy," 
he  said,  "  bad  failed  to  keep  tryst  with  Akaitcho.  The 
Indians,  after  suffering  great  hardships,  were  disap- 
pointed at  this,  and  abused  him  for  having  led  them 
from  their  families,  so,  though  still  professing  to  be 
willing  to  execute  their  compact,  they  did  nothing. 
As  for  Humpy,  he  was  found  destitute  of  ammunition, 
and  actually  starving,  and  soon  afterwards  he  lost 
three  of  his  hunters.  He  himself  had  written  no  note 
because  he  had  no  paper,  but  he  had  left  a  plank  at 
Fort  Enterprise  on  which  he  had  written  his  report  to 
Franklin,  and  this  some  Indians  must  have  destroyed. 
While  there,  the  two  Indians  with  him  laid  up  no 
food,  because  one  would  not  hunt  for  fear  of  meeting 
the  Dog  Rib  Indians,  and  the  other  was  lame.'*     Lame, 


■w 


110 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


\   ! 


'    I 


indeed,  this  apology  reads,  and  Franklin  remembered 
offering  Wentzel  paper  at  parting,  wliich  he  declined, 
having  then  a  note-book.  But,  on  the  whole,  it  must 
be  taken  into  consideration  that  he  had  had  a  most 
difficult  task  to  perform,  and  that  he  was  almost 
powerless  to  contend  against  the  opposition  of  the 
Indians. 

In  1833,  Back  in  his  expedition  to  the  Great  Fish 
Eiver  met  Akaitcho  again,  and  was  again  indebted  to 
him  for  supplies  of  food  in  a  trying  winter.  But  with 
true  Indian  reticence,  he  never  asked  after  Franklin 
and  Richardson  on  first  seeing  Back,  though  he  seemed 
glad  to  hear  about  them,  and  to  receive  some  remera- 
brances  they  had  sent  him. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  Franklin  reached  York  Factory, 
thus  completing  a  journey  of  5,550  miles,  and  one  of 
the  most  eventful  ever  recorded.  Of  the  twenty-four 
men  who  set  out  with  him  originally,  ten  »/ere  dead,  six 
had  been  discharged  before  the  hardships  began,  and 
nine  survived  them.  Of  the  two  Esquimaux,  Junius 
was  lost ;  Augustus,  Franklin  was  to  meet  again.  The 
faithful  Hepburn  was,  it  is  pleasant  to  know,  rewarded 
with  a  snug  berth  at  home,  and  afterwards  in  Tasmania. 
In  all  those  terrible  days,  neither  his  affeciion  nor  that 
of  the  officers  for  their  chief  had  ever  wavered.  A 
leader  v/ho  succeeds  never  lacks  followers.  He  who 
fails,  but  does  not  forfeit  the  confidence  of  brave  and 
able  men,  has  proved  bis  great  qualities  by  even  a 


•y 


The  Ruling  Passion, 


111 


higher  title.  Franklin  may  well  have  felt  proud  of  the 
devotion  of  such  men  after  such  disasters.  It  only 
remains  to  say  that  this  expedition  returned  to 
England  in  1822,  and  that  Franklin,  Kichardson,  and 
Back  actually  volunteered  for  another  expedition  to  the 
same  region  in  1824.  Surely  every  Englishman  may 
feel  proud  that  he  is  of  one  blood  with  that 
Triumvirate, 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

franklin's  second  expedition. 

Honours  conferred  on  Franklin — His  first  Marriage — Parry's  Congra- 
tulations— Preparations  for  an  Expedition  down  the  Mackenzie — 
Richardson  and  15ack  volunteer  —  Preliminary  Expeditions  of 
Franklin  and  Eichardson. 

WHEN  Franklin  reached  England,  he  was  received 
with  the  utmost  enthusiasm,  and  became  at  once 
the  hero  of  the  hour.  The  sufferings  he  had  undergone, 
and  the  modesty  with  which  he  related  them,  excited 
the  curiosity  and  delight  of  all  classes.  He  was  made 
post-captain,  and  elected  a  member  of  the  Eoyal  Society, 
and  in  1823  he  married  Eleanor  Anne  Porden — the 
youngest  daughter  of  a  London  architect,  and  authoress 
of  two  poems,  "  The  Veils,"  and  "  Coeur  de  Lion,  or  the 
Third  Crusade" — who  died  in  1825.  Nowhere  was 
admiration  of  his  achievement  stronger  than  in  his  own 
profession.  The  following  letter,  from  Sir  Edward 
Parry,  is  equally  honourable  to  the  writer  and  the 
recipient  of  it : — 


>.■ 


Parry  s  Letter, 


113 


Stamford  Hill,  October  23rd,  18231. 


My  Dear  franklin, 

I  can  sincerely  assure  you  that  it  was 
with  no  ordinary  feelings  of  gratification  that  I  read  your 

kind  letter  of  congratulation  on  my  return 

Of  the  splendid  achievements  of  yourself  and  your  brave 
companions  in  enterprise  I  can  hardly  trust  myself  to  speak, 
for  I  am  apprehensive  of  not  conveying — what,  indeed,  never 
can  be  conveyed  adequately  by  words — my  unbounded 
admiration  of  what  you  have,  under  th6  blessing  of  God, 
been  enabled  to  perform,  and  the  manner  in  which  you  have 
performed  it.  To  place  you,  in  the  rank  of  travellers,  above 
Park  and  Hearne  and  others,  would,  in  my  estimation,  be 
nothing  in  comparison  of  your  merits.  But  in  you  and  your 
party,  my  dear  friend,  we  see  so  sublime  an  instance  of 
Christian  confidence  in  the  Almighty,  of  the  superiority  of 
moral  and  religious  energy  over  mere  brute  strength  of  body, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  contemplate  your  sufferings  and 
preservation  without  a  sensation  of  reverential  awe.  I  have 
not  yet  seen  your  book,  and  have  only  read  the  Quarterly 
Revieio.  This  latter  was  put  into  my  hand  at  Shetland,  and 
I  need  not  be  ashamed  to  say  that  I  cried  over  it  like  a 
child.  The  tears  I  shed,  however,  were  those  of  pride  and 
pleasure — pride  at  being  your  countryman,  brother  officer, 
and  friend — pleasure  in  seeing  the  virtues  of  the  Christian 
adding  their  first  and  highest  charm  to  the  unconquerable 
perseverance  and  splendid  talents  of  the  officer  and  the  man. 

I  shall  only  add  that  I  am,  my  dear  Franklin,  your  ever 
faithful  and  most  sincerely  admiring  friend, 

W.  E.  Parry.    . 


'\ ' 


114 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


Franklia  soon  received  a  proof  of  esteem  and  con- 
fidence more  gratifying  even  than  this  generous  tribute 
from  his  brother-in-arms.  His  ardent  spirit  could  not 
rest  satisfied  while  so  much  of  the  north  coast  of 
America  remained  unexplored,  and  he  submitted  to  the 
Government  a  plan  for  a  second  expedition,  offering 
to  carry  it  out  in  person.  Immediately  it  was  known 
that  his  offer  was  accepted,  a  number  of  able  and 
experienced  officers  eagerly  came  forward  and  proffered 
their  services.  Among  the  first  were  Back  and 
Richardson,  the  latter  giving  up  a  good  positicn  at 
home,  and  leaving  a  wife  to  whom  he  was  tenderly 
attached,  in  order  to  accompany  his  old  friend.  The 
other  officers  selected  were  Mr.  Kendall,  who  was  to 
be  assistant,  surveyor,  and  Mr.  Drummond,  assistant 
naturalist.  Mr.  Dease,  chief  trader  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  was  to  look  after  the  arrangements  with 
the  Indians  and  Canadian  voyagers.  The  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  entered  warmly  into  the  project,  and 
ordered  their  officials  in  the  Fur  Countries  to  provide 
dep6ts  of  provisions  at  the  places  which  Franklin 
specified.  As  pemmican  could  not  be  supplied  in 
sufficient  quantity  sooner  than  the  spring  of  1825,  that 
was  the  date  fixed  for  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  in 
the  Fur  Countries.  Stores  were  forwarded  in  1824  to 
Mr.'  Dease  at  the  Athabasca  Lake.  He  was  to  organise 
a  party,  and  after  wintering  with  them  at  Great  Slave 
Lake,  to  \  oceed  to  Great  Bear  Lake  in  the  spring  of 


Plan  of  Operations, 


115 


1825,  and  begin  the  buildings  for  the  expedition. 
Great  Bear  Lake  was  chosen  as  the  head-quarters 
of  the  expedition,  being  the  station  nearest  to  tha 
mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  Eiver  cf^pable  of  supplying 
such  numbers  with  fish.  Two  carpenters,  and  a  party 
of  men  with  tliree  light  boats  and  more  stores,  were 
sent  to  York  Factory  in  1824.  They  were  to  go  to 
Cumberland  House  that  season,  and  get  on  as  early 
as  possible  the  next  spring  towards  Bear  Lake.  The 
officers  were  to  start  in  1825  and  make  for  Lake 
Huron,  where  two  canoes  had  been  sent  to  await  their 
arrival,  and  thence  would  catch  up  the  last-mentioned 
detachment  on  its  way  to  Bear  Lake. 

The  greatest  care  had  been  taken  in  constructing  the 
boats.  By  hard  experience  Franklin  had  learnt  the 
weak  points  in  a  birch-bark  canoe.  These  boats  had  to 
be  strong  enough  to  withstand  rough  waves,  and  yet  as 
light  as  possible,  in  view  of  portages.  They  were  made 
of  uiahogany,  with  ash  timbers,  and  could  be  steered 
by  a  sweep-oar,  or  rudder.  The  largest,  2Gft.  by  5ft. 
4in.,  would  carry  six  rowers,  a  steersman,  an  officer,  and 
three  tons  weight.  Six  men  could  carry  it  on  their 
shoulders.  The  other  two  were  a  little  smaller.  A 
fourth  boat  was  called  the  Walnut  Shell.  It  was  9ft. 
long  by  4rt.  4in,  broad,  was  made  of  ash,  covered  with 
macintosh  canvas,  was  in  shape  like  half  a  walnut^ 
weighed  eiglity-five  pounds,  could  be  taken  to  pieces 
and  carried  in  five  or  six  parcels,  anr]   could  be  put 


•  ^ 


116 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


together  in  less  than  twenty  minutes.  It  would  doubt- 
less have  saved  several  livrea  if  it  had  been  with 
Franklin  in  his  first  expedition.  Several  ladies  were 
paddled  across  the  Thames  in  it  in  a  fresh  breeze.  The 
stores  were  ample  in  quantity,  and  selected  with  great 
care. 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1825,  the  officers  left 
Liverpool  amid  tlie  cheers  of  the  chief  inhabitants. 
After  a  pleasant  passage  they  were  equally  warmly 
received  in  New  York,  where  no  doubt  the  favourable 
impression  produced  by  Franklin  had  something  to  do 
with  the  genuine  and  most  generous  interest  shown  by 
the  Americans  in  his  subsequent  fate.  After  visiting 
Niagara,  they  crossed  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Simcoe, 
and  found  their  canoes  in  readiness  at  Lake  Huron. 
Thence,  with  thirty-three  voyagers,  they  coasted  along 
the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior  as  far  as  Fort 
William,  where  they  exchanged  their  canoes  for 
four  small  ones,  in  one  of  which  Richardson  and 
Franklin  hurried  ahead  to  organise  supplies  of  pro- 
visions, while  Back  brought  on  the  three  others.  On 
the  15th  of  June  they  reached  Cumberland  House,  via 
Eainy  Lake,  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  the  Saskatchawan  River,  and  found  their  boats  had 
left  that  place  on  the  2nd,  but  that  Mathews  the  chief 
carpenter  was  lying  there  with  a  broken  leg.  Arranging 
for  him  to  be  sent  on  in  two  months,  and  for  supplies 
being  sent  to  Mr.  Drummond,  who  was  to  make  natural 


Objects  proposed. 


117 


history  collections  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  Franklin 
reached  Isle  5,  la  Crosse  on  the  25th,  and  overtook  the 
boats  in  Methye  River  at  sunrise  on  the  29Lh  of  June. 
Such  were  the  preliminary  preparations  for,  and  opera- 
tions of  the  expedition.  It  is  time  to  explain  what 
were  its  objects. 

In  1825,  Franklin  was  to  proceed  to  the  western  side 
of  Great  Bear  Lake,  to  winter  there,  and  endeavour  to 
make  friends  with  the  Esquimaux.  In  1826,  as  early 
as  possible,  in  order  to  avail  himself  of  the  first 
opening  in  the  ice-bound  sea,  he  was  to  advance  alon^ 
the  coast  to  Icy  Cape,  and,  doubling  it,  proceed  to 
Kotzebue's  Inlet,  a  bight  on  the  American  shore  of 
Bering's  Straits.  There  he  might  expect  the  Blossom^ 
commanded  by  Captain  Beechey,  which  the  Admiralty 
were  to  send  there  in  1826,  and  he  might  embark  on 
that  ship  or  return  to  Great  Bear  Lake,  as  he  preferred.. 
On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River,  he 
was,  if  he  had  stores  enough,  to  despatch  Dr.  Richard- 
son and  Lieutenant  Kendall  with  a  party  to  examine 
tl»e  coast  from  the  Mackenzie  to  the  Coppermine  River. 
If  not,  Dr.  Richardson  was  to  make  a  collection  of  the 
objects  of  the  country,  and  to  lay  up  depots  of  pro- 
visions. Meanwhile,  Parry  was  to  sail  to  Lancaster 
Sound,  and  make  his  way  westwards  as  far  as  ho 
could,  so  that  a  second  time  the  two  friends  were 
co-operating  in  the  same  enterprise,  each  on  ground 
that  he  had  made  his  own. 


118 


Sif   yohn  Franklin, 


The  boats  of  the  expedition  had  now  travelled  1,200 
miles  from  Hudson's  Bay,  and  the  officers  had  come 
2,800  miles,  by  New  York  and  Canada,  wlien  they  met 
at  the  Methye  River,  which  is  almost  at  the  head  of 
the  waters  flowing;  from  the  north  into  Hudson's 
Bay.  Franklin  was  received  with  enthusiasm  by  the 
boat  party,  which  was  under  Mie  charge  of  a  Hudson's 
Bay  clerk  named  Eraser,  and  no  one  showed  more 
delight  than  his  old  friend  Augustus  the  Esquimaux, 
who,  instead  of  the  lost  Junius,  brought  with  him  this 
time  a  companion  called  Ooligbuck.  Eranklin  gave  the 
men  an  hour  to  read  the  letters  he  had  brought  from 
England,  and  then  lost  no  time  in  setting  to  work. 
Everyone  was  forced  to  walk  in  the  shallow  river, 
-dragging  the  boats,  and  when  they  reached  the  Methye 
Portage,  one  boat  was  borne  on  men's  shoulders,  another 
was.  dragged  by  eight  men,  and  the  largest  was  drawn 
on  a  truck.  Nothing  of  note  occurred  on  the  route. 
Franklin  reached  Eort  Chipewyan  on  the  15th.  The 
boats  were  there  by  the  18th,  and  sent  on,  under 
Richardson,  on  the  20th.  Back  and  Kendall,  with  three 
canoes,  arrived  on  the  23rd.  On  the  29th,  Eranklin 
came  to  Eort  Resolution,  on  the  Slave  Lake,  whence 
Richardson  had  previously  gone  forward  with  the  boats ; 
and  as  all  the  portages  on  the  way  to  Bear  Lake  had 
been  passed,  his  Canadians  begged  to  be  allowed  a 
dance.  They  had  been  paddling  for  thirty  out  of  the 
thirty-nine  preceding  hours,  but  they  kept  it  up  till 


'•w 


\ 


News  of  Akaitcho, 


119 


~~A 


daylight  to  the  music  of  bagpipes,  varied  by  the  Jew's 
harp.  At  Fort  Resolution,  Franklin  found  two  more 
old  friends.  Humpy  and  Keskarrah,  who,  seizing  his 
hands  and  pressing  them  against  their  hearts,  exclaimed, 
"  How  much  we  regret  that  we  cannot  tell  what  we 
feel  for  you  here."  Humpy  told  him  that  many  of  the 
hunters  he  had  known  at  Fort  Enterprise  had  been 
killed  by  the  Dog  Eib  Indians,  and  that  one  motive  foi 
the  peace  which  had  just  been  concluded  between  them 
and  the  Copper  Indians  was  Akaitcho's  wish  not  to 
imperil  the  success  of  the  expedition  by  his  wars. 
Akaitcho  was  now  collecting  meat  for  the  party,  and 
promised  to  hunt  for  them ;  but  not  where  his  men  had 
fallen  in  battle  against  the  Dog  Ribs,  lest  the  passion 
of  revenge  should  be  too  strong,  and  the  flame  of  war 
should  be  relighted.  He  hoped,  he  had  said,  that  the 
Dog  Ribs,  though  his  enemies,  would  help  the  English. 
On  leaving  Fort  Resolution,  Franklin  left  also  the 
track  to  Fort  Enterprise  which  he  had  hitherto  been 
pursuing  from  Lake  Winnipeg,  and,  as  his  course  was 
now  westwards,  steered  for  the  Buffalo  River,  and  then 
along  the  south  shore  of  the  Slave  Lake,  past  the  mouths 
of  the  Sandy  and  Hay  Rivers,  till  he  came  to  the  spot 
where  the  Mackenzie  River  flows  out  of  the  Slave  Lake, 
on  the  3rd  of  August.  Next  day  he  reached  Fort 
Simpson,  a  Hudson's  Bay  post  338  miles  from  Fort 
Resolution,  and  found  that  none  of  the  Esquimaux,  and 
only  a  few  of  the  Mackenzie  River  Indians,  had  been 


m/,smw' 


120 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


told  of  his  approach.  But  two  Canadians  were  waiting 
to  serve  as  guides  to  Bear  Lake,  liaving  been  sent 
by  Dease,  who  was  at  that  lake,  and  who,  liaving 
engaged  Indian  hunters,  was  overseeing  the  erection 
of  the  necessary  buildings.  On  the  7th  he  reached 
Fort  Norman,  236  miles  from  Fort  Simpson,  four 
davs'  march  from  Bear  Lake.  Here  he  determined  on 
executing  a  plan  which  he  had  himself  formed  on 
leaving  England,  but  which  he  had  told  his  companiona 
only  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  fearing  lest  unavoidable  delays 
might  render  it  impracticable.  It  involved  the  division 
of  the  expedition  into  three  parties. 

(1)  Franklin  and  Kendall  were  to  cro  to  the  sea  and 
•procure  information  as  to  the  state  of  the  ice  in  summer 
and  autumn,  the  trend  of  the  coast  east  and  west  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Ai.ackenzie,  and  the  prospect  of  pro- 
visions. This  was  the  most  dangerous  part  to  under- 
take, owing  to  possible  encounters  with  the  Esquimaux  j 
and  though  Franklin  does  not  say  so,  doubtless  this 
was  one  of  his  reasons  for  taking  it  himself.  (2) 
Richardson  was  to  go  along  the  north  shore  of  the  Bear 
Lake,  and  select  the  spot  at  which  he  would  strike  it 
on  his  overland  return  from  the  Coppermine  River  the 
following  year.  (3)  Back  and  Dease  were  to  superin- 
tend the  fishing  and  hunting  arrangements,  and  the 
general  affairs  of  the  winter  establishment  then  in 
progress.  Back  was  to  go  on  with  the  canoes,  one  of 
which  he  was  to  give  to  Richardson.    The  Canadians 


Preliminary  Exploralion^, 


121 


from  Lake  Huron,  and  some  of  the  vova^jers  v/hom 
Dease  had  brought,  were  discharged  and  sent  home- 
wards. The  main  stores  for  tlie  next  year's  voyage 
were  left  at  Fort  Norman,  which  v/ouhl  be  on  the 
route ;  and  on  August  8th,  Franklin  set  out  in  tlie  Linn 
with  Kendall,  six  P^nglishmen,  Augustus,  and  a  voyager 
as  guide. 

Parting  from  Back  at  Bear  Lake  Iliver,  he  proceeded 
down  the  Mackenzie,  meeting  a  body  of  Hare  Indians 
on  his  way,  who  carefully  scrutinised  the  ligures  of 
animals  painted  on  his  boat,  bursting  out  laughing 
whenever  they  recognised  one.  On  the  10th  he  reached 
Fort  Good  Hope,  312  miles  from  Fort  Norman,  and  the 
northernmost  station  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
The  master,  Mr.  Dease,  was  intensely  surprised  to  see 
him  so  soon,  but  had  some  pleasant  news  to  give  him — 
viz.,  that  the  Loucheux  Indians  who  traded  with  the 
Fort  had  just  made  peace  with  the  Esquimaux,  who 
were  usually  their  enemies.  Dease  went  with  Franklin 
as  far  as  Trading  Ptiver,  and  left  with  him  Baptiste,  a 
young  half-breed,  the  interpreter  of  the  Fort,  who  wished 
to  join  the  Chief  of  the  Loucheux.  As  they  dropped 
down  the  river,  they  were  hailed  by  an  Indian,  who 
undertook  to  introduce  them  to  his  tribe  if  they  would 
carry  his  baggage.  As  he  looked  quite  poverty-stricken, 
they  at  once  consented,  little  thinking  that  load  after 
load  of  odorous  fish  would  be  thrown  into  their  boat. 
By-and-by  they  came  to  more  Indian  lodges,  and  were 


122 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


received  suspiciously  till  tlio  people  saw  Augustus, 
whom  they  caressed  and  danced  round,  to  show  their 
delight.  The  excellent  little  fellow's  head  was  not 
turned  by  his  popularity,  !io  which,  however,  he  had  no 
objection  so  long  as  it  did  not  interfere  with  his  pre- 
paring tlie  officers'  breakfast — a  duty  which  it  was  his 
peculiar  delight  to  perform.  These  Indians  resemble 
the  Esquimaux  in  many  of  their  customs  and  habits, 
and  Franklin  was  now  nearing  the  region  of  the  latter. 
There  were  numerous  islands  in  the  river,  and  conse- 
quently many  channels ;  and  when  Franklin  chose  the 
eastern  one  of  several,  the  Indians  who  had  accompanied 
him  instantly  turned  back.  Baptiste  was  asleep  at  the 
time,  but  consoled  himself  with  the  thought  that  he 
should  still  meet  the  Loucheux  Chief  at  a  place  called 
the  "  Forks,"  which  they  had  really  passed,  and  his  com- 
panions chuckled  as  they  thought  of  his  astonishment 
if  the  next  halloo  he  heard  should  come  from  the  lips 
of  Esquimaux,  of  whom  he  stood  in  great  terror.  In 
fact  they  very  soon  passed  by  the  huts  of  those  people, 
and  once  were  convinced  they  heard  a  human  voice, 
but  they  saw  no  one,  and,  following  the  main  stream  at 
a  point  where  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  took  a  more 
northern  channel,  on  the  14th  of  August  they  were 
delighted  by  the  prospect  of  wide  water  ahead,  which 
they  knew  must  be  the  sea.  A  seal  just  then  appeared, 
sporting  about  the  boat,  as  if  to  confirm  their  opinion. 
Baptiste  began  to  think  it  just  possible  he  had  gone 


r 


\ 


Franklin  reaches  the  Sea. 


123 


by  the  Forks  and  missed  the  Chief,  but  would  not  be 
satisfied  till,  on  tasting  the  water,  he  found  it  was  salt. 
A  moose  deer  and  calf,  and  a  reindeer,  were  killed  on 
the  15tli,  and  on  the  IGth  they  reached  an  island  from 
a  hill  on  which  they  saw  the  sea  in  all  its  majesty, 
quite  free  from  ice,  and  full  of  seals  and  whales.  Such 
a  sight  not  only  augured  well  for  them,  but  gave  them 
lively  hopes  of  the  success  of  Parry's  voyage  with  the 
Hecla  and  Fury.  The  island  was  named,  after  the 
Deputy-Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  Garry 
Island,  and  a  silk  Union  Jack  was  hoisted,  which 
Franklin's  wife  had  made  and  given  him  as  a  parting 
gift,  with  the  express  injunction  that  it  was  not  to  be 
hoisted  till  he  reached  the  sea.  With  a  spirit  as  heroic 
as  his  own,  she  had  on  her  death-bed  besought  him  to 
start  on  his  voyage  on  the  appointed  day,  beseeching 
him,  if  he  set  any  value  on  her  peace  of  mind,  not  to 
delay  his  departure  for  a  moment.  Her  own  hours  she 
knew  were  numbered,  and  she  felt  that  he  would  only 
be  staying  to  close  her  eyes.  In  fact,  he  heard  of  her 
death  while  he  was  at  New  York.  With  what  sad 
memories  Franklin  obeyed  her  last  wishes  may  easily 
be  imagined,  but  he  says  he  felt  bound  to  suppress  his 
own  emotions  so  as  not  to  damp  the  general  joy,  and 
he  did  his  best  to  return  the  warm  congratulations 
which  he  received  from  his  men.  Three  cheers  were 
given,  and  Franklin  and  Kendall  were  going  to  drink 
the  King's  health,  when,  at  the  first  taste,  they  found 


124 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


that  it  was  snlt  water  wliich  Baptiste,  in  his  delight  at 
seeing  the  sea,  had  given  them  to  mix  with  their 
hrandy.  He  was  immensely  elated  at  having  seen  the 
sea,  and  stuck  his  feathers  in  his  hat,  crying  out,  '*  Now 
1  am  one  of  the  Gtns  de  la  mer,  you  shall  see  how 
active  I  will  be,  and  how  I  will  crow  over  the  Geris  du 
nord" — by  whom  he  meant  the  Athabasca  voyagers. 

On  this  island  Franklin  left  letters  for  Parry  con- 
spicuously marked.  Then,  after  in  vain  attempting  to 
cross  to  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Mackenzie  embouchure, 
in  order  to  visit  the  Eocky  Mountains,  he  began  his 
return  route  on  the  18th,  leaving  presents  in  the 
Esquimaux  huts  on  his  way.  On  the  21st  he  regained 
the  Loucheux  territory,  and  on  the  23rd,  Fort  Good 
Hope,  where  he  found  the  Indians  had  spread  a  report 
that  his  part^'  had  all  been  massacred  by  the  Esquimaux. 

On  the  1st  of  September  Bear  Eiver  was  entered,  and 
much  hard  tracking  had  to  be  done.  Bub  on  the  5th 
Bear  Lake  was  entered,  and  that  night,  for  the  first 
time,  all  the  members  of  the  expedition  were  assembled 
together.  Dr.  Richardson  having  returned  already,  and 
having  fixed,  as  the  place  he  should  make  for  when  he 
should  come  back  from  the  Coppermine  River,  the  first 
rapid  in  the  river  he  had  named  Dease,  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  lake. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

franklin's  second  expedition  (continued). 

Fort  Franklin — Franklin's  Letter — Winter  Occupations  and  Prepara- 
tions— The  two  parties  under  Franklin  and  Richardson  set  out. 

IT  was  now  September,  and  Franklin  had  travelled 
5,320  miles  since  he  left  New  York,  having  in  his 
last  trip  from  Bear  Lake  River  to  the  sea  and  back 
gone  1,206  miles.  The  buildings  which  Mr.  Dease  had 
been  superintending  since  July  formed  three  sides  of  a 
square,  and  included  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  a  meat 
store.  They  were  on  the  sice  of  an  old  North- West 
Company's  station,  on  a  dry  sandy  bank  about  eighty 
yards  from  and  twenty-five  feet  above  the  lake.  The 
stockade  of  the  old  fort  still  stood,  and  served  as 
a  screen  from  the  biting  blast  and  the  snow-drifts. 
Besides  Bear  Lake,  they  had  a  view  over  another  small 
lake,  so  that  their  winter  abode  was  very  prettily 
situated.  Franklin  had  intended  its  name  to  be  Fort 
Reliance,  but  before  he  came  back  from  the  sea  the 
officers  had  christened  it  Fort  Franklin.  The  members 
of  the  little  community  were  fifty,  consisting  of  five 


126 


Sir  Jchfi  Franklin. 


officers,  nineteen  British  seamen,  marines,  and  voyagers, 
nine  Canadians,  two  Esquimaux,  the  interpreter.  Beau- 
lieu,  and  four  Ciiipewyan  hunters,  three  women,  six 
children,  and  one  Indian  lad.  Besides  these,  there 
were  a  few  infirm  Indians  requiring  temporary  support. 
All  these  did  not  reside  at  the  Fort,  two  other  fishing 
stations  heing  established  at  four  and  seven  miles* 
distance.  Fifteen  or  twenty  nets  were  kept  in  use, 
and  as  few  reindeer  were  killed  by  the  inexperienced 
hunters,  the  food  mainly  relied  on  was  fish. 

Next  to  the  maintenance  of  the  men,  their  employ- 
ment during  the  winter  occupied  Franklin's  attention. 
Postal  communication  with  the  Slave  Lake  was  kept 
up  by  two  of  the  best  snow-shoe  travellers.  Sfjme 
carried  the  fish  and  the  meat  home.  Some  felled  wood, 
others  carried  it  home,  and  others  again  split  it  up 
for  fuel.  A  school  was  formed  for  the  men  duriusj  the 
long  evenings,  and  their  amusements  were  always 
shared  b}^  the  officers,  to  whom  they  became  in  conse- 
quence more  attached.  Everyone  seemed  anxious  to 
do  his  utmost  to  make  the  winter  pass  away  as 
agreeably  as  possible  to  his  neighbours. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  Beaulieu  brought  a  supply 
of  meat,  enough  for  a  month's  consumption,  and  on  the 
23rd,  as  the  last  chimney  of  the  buildings  was  finished, 
they  were  formally  opened  with  the  festivities  usual  in 
the  country.  The  flag  was  hoisted  and  saluted.  All 
the  men  and  women  having  formed  in  line,  a  deputa- 


'". 


A  Squabble  in  Camp, 


127 


tion  of  them  came  to  invite  tlie  presence  of  the  officers, 
who  found  their  guns  decked  with  blue  ribbons,  and 
were  requested  to  fire  at  a  bit  of  money  fastened  to  the 
flag-staff.  Then  the  men  fired  two  volleys,  gave  three 
hearty  cheers,  and,  marching  after  the  piper,  who  played 
a  merry  tune  on  the  bagpipes,  drank  to  the  King's 
health  and  the  success  of  the  expedition.  A  dance 
followed  at  night,  which  was  kept  up  till  daybreak  next 
morning. 

During  October,  enough  snow  fell  to  render  sledging 
possible,  and  the  carcases  of  such  reindeer  as  were 
killed,  and  the  fuel,  were  now  brought  in  by  the  dogs. 
In  November,  an  odd  mistake  nearly  led  to  serious 
consequences.  The  Canadians  having  asked  Mr.  Dease 
who  the  Highlandmen  of  the  party  were,  were  told  that 
they  were  Montagnards — the  name  they  give  to  the 
Dog  Kib  Indians.  A  scuffle  ensued  on  their  chaffing 
the  Highlandmen  as  Dog  Ribs,  and  a  Dog  Rib  Indian 
received  a  blow  in  it.  The  ringleaders  in  the  row  were 
sent  to  bed,  and  the  Highlanders  were  easily  pacified 
next  morning  when  the  real  meaning  of  "  Montagnards" 
was  explained  to  them.  But  the  Dog  Rib  Indian 
spread  a  report  that  the  white  people  were  going  to 
destroy  all  the  Indians,  and,  till  Franklin  carefully 
explained  what  had  happened,  his  countrymen  were 
very  shy  in  their  approaches.  They  found  the  camp, 
however,  an  irresistible  attraction,  and  were  not  alto- 
gether welcome  guests.     In  spite  of  being  given  nets  to 


128 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


fish,  they  preferred  to  beg  and  gather  up  the  offal  of  tlie 
cainp.  They  even  robbed  the  nets  more  than  once,  and 
sliowed  themselves  a  lazy  and  lying  set  of  people. 
What  thoughts  and  studies  occupied  Franklin's  mind 
during  the  winter  will  be  best  seen  from  a  letter  written 
by  him,  on  November  6  th,  to  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir)  K.  J. 
Murchison. 


Fort  Franklin,  Great  Bear  Lake, 
November  6th,  1825. 

Lat.  Qb''  12'  K. ;  Long.  123°  5'  W. 

My  Dear  Sib, 

That  I  have  not  written  to  you  befce,  has  not 
arisen  from  want  of  inclination,  but  from  pressure  of  business 
at  the  outset  of  my  journey,  and  subsequently  from  my 
mind  being  unfitted  for  correspondence  by  having  received 
the  account  of  the  severe  domestic  aliiiction  that  I  have  had 
to  sustain.  I  have  little  doubt  of  your  having  heard  of  our 
progress  from  Dr.  Fitton,  and  tliorugh  other  channels,  up  to 
the  date  of  my  last  letters — I  shall  therefore  carry  you  now 
forward  from  Fort  Chipewyan.  There,  I  was  enabled  from 
the  stores  of  the  H.  B  Co.  to  complete  our  stock  of  every 
essential  article  to  a  sufficiency  for  two  years*  consumption, 
and,  embarking  them  in  the  boats  (which  you  may  remember 
had  preceded  me  from  England),  we  set  off  before  the  current 
to  Mackenzie  River.  The  season  had  permitted  us  to  reach 
it  at  an  unusually  early  date,  and  therefore  I  determined  to 
distribute  the  party  into  three  portions,  in  order  to  prosecute 
the  examination  into  some  points  that  we  wished  to  have 
ascertained  this  season,  but  which,  I  may   add,  we  could 


f7M*i  u^^g^M^Ti-V"-^ 


1-r*"  ■"'■  '*•  • 


Franklin  s  Letter, 


129 


scarcely  hope  to  have  done  on  our  quitting  England. 
Accompanied  by  one  of  the  officers,  Mr.  Kendall,  1  con- 
tinued the  descent  of  the  river  to  the  sea,  and  we  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  taste  the  salt  water  just  six  months  after  out 
departure  from  Liverpool.  By  this  visit  we  discovered  the 
direction  of  the  coast  east  and  west  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  were  enabled  to  take,  some  steps  towards  pro- 
curing an  interview  with  the  Esquimaux  next  spring,  and 
thus  have  we  facilitated  the  commencement  of  our  operations 
along  the  sea  coast.  At  the  same  time,  Dr.  Richardson  took 
a  survey  of  the  northern  boundaries  of  this  lake,  and  found 
its  nearest  approach  to  the  Coppermine  Kiver,  so  that  he  has 
determined  the  point  to  which  his  course  must  be  directed 
on  his  return  from  the  mouth  of  that  river,  if  he  be  so 
fortunate  as  to  reach  it.  While  we  were  thus  employed, 
Lieut.  Back  superintended  the  building  of  this  establishment, 
which  my  friends  have  had  the  kindness  to  name  Franklin. 
These  were  completed  last  month  (Sept.),  and  we  are  now 
very  comfortably  settled  for  the  winter.  Our  chief  deper.- 
dence  is  on  the  fish  which  the  lake  supplies  in  abundance  j 
but  we  get  a  few  reindeer,  though  this  supply  will  gradually 
become  less  as  the  season  advances,  as  these  animals,  during 
the  severe  weather,  retire  to  the  more  wooded  and  bettei 
sheltered  parts  of  the  country — not  that  we  want  wood  here 
for  every  purpose  of  fuel,  nor  is  it  scarce  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mackenzie,  which  are  well  clothed  with  trees  till  you 
reach  within  fifty  miles  of  the  sea.  Advanced,  as  I  presume 
you  now  are,  in  geological  knowledge,  an  excursion  down 
the  Mackenzie  would  be  very  interesting  to  you,  as  its  banks 
offer  very  fine  specimens  of  the  coal  formation,  with,  it* 
neighbouring  sand  and  limestones.  The  latter  abound  in 
good  specimens  of  the  shells  and  organic  remains  peculiar  to 


130 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


\  \ 


ill 


that  series.  We  have  collected  a  variety  of  them,  and  I  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  having  them  explained  by  our  very 
kind  friend,  Dr.  Fitton.  We  have  brought  up  the  collection 
ho  had  the  goodness  to  give  us  for  reference,  and  our 
excellent  friend  Dr.  Eichardson  affords  all  the  information 
he  hears,  or  which  he  can  gather  from  the  books  we  have 
brought  respecting  them,  so  that  through  him  we  endeavour 
to  keep  up  the  information  which  Dr.  Fitton  first  imparted. 
We  have  got  Conybeare  and  Phillips,  Phillips  and  Jameson 
on  Mineralogy,  and  Humboldt  on  the  superposition  of  rocks ; 
but  to  the  inexperienced,  one  lecture  from  a  person  con- 
versant with  the  science  is  more  profitable  than  many  hours* 
reading  on  subjects  naturally  difficult  to  be  comprehended. 
It  is  evident,  too,  on  the  slightest  inquiry  into  Geology,  that 
a  comparative  knowledge  of  other  sciences  is  requisite — 
Mineralogy  and  Chemistry  for  instance,  to  which  I  should 
apply  more  closely,  if  the  opportunity  were  permitted  me, 
than  I  have  yet  done.  You  were  wisely  laying  the  founda- 
tion by  close  application  to  Mr.  Bearde's  courses.  I  have 
been  delighted  with  Dante,  and  so  have  my  companions ;  but 
I  must  confess  there  ia  frequently  a  depth  of  thought  and 
reasoning  to  which  my  mind  can  hardly  reach — perhaps 
these  parts  will  be  better  comprehended  on  re-perusal.  It 
seems  clear  that  Milton,  as  well  as  other  poets,  have  borrowed 
ideas  from  his  comprehensive  mind.  I  am  afraid  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  make  any  -satisfactory  experiments  with  the 
balls  of  Colonel  Miller's  rifle — those  which  we  have  brought 
having  unfortunately  got  the  edges  of  the  grooves  flattened 
by  rubbing  against  each  other,  notwithstanding  all  our  care. 
It  answers  well  with  the  cannon-ball.  The  circumstance  of 
its  going  o^  without  the  aid  of  flint  and  steel  is  a  matter  of 
never-failing  surprise  to  the  Indians,  and  even  to  the  traders 


Letter  continued. 


131 


in  these  distant  parts,  for  the  detonating  and  other  improved 
locks  have  not  yet  reached  so  far.  Ws  have  as  yet  ha<l  no 
severe  weatlier,  nor  do  I  think  we  are  likely  to  have  the 
temperature  so  low  as  at  Fort  Enterprise — we  are  in  fact 
much  less  elevated  in  ihis  secondary  formation  than  when  in 
its  vicinity,  where  the  rocks  are  entirely  granite.  Until  tho 
day  before  yesterday,  20th  October,  we  had  comparatively 
little  snow,  and  this  is  the  first  day  ♦hat  our  dogs  have  been 
used  in  dragging  sledges.  Four  trains  of  two  dogs  each  were 
despatched  for  meat  this  morning.  We  endeavour  to  keep  our- 
selves in  good  humour,  health,  and  spirits  by  an  agreeable 
variety  of  useful  occupation  and  amusement.  Till  the  snow  fell, 
the  game  of  hockey,  played  on  the  ice,  was  the  morning's  sport. 
At  other  times  Wilson's  pipes  are  put  in  request,  and  now 
and  then  a  game  of  Blind  Man's  Buff — in  fact,  any  recreation 
is  encouraged  to  promote  exercise  and  good  feeling.  I  wish 
you  could  pop  in  and  partake  our  fare ;  you  would  be  sure  of 
a  hearty  welcome,  and  you  should  have  your  choice  of  either 
moose  or  reindeer  meat  or  trout,  weighing  from  forty  to 
lifty  pounds;  but  you  must  bring  wine  and  bread  if  you 
wish  either  for  more  than  one  day.  I  shall  send  this  letter 
to  Dr.  Fitton,  as  I  recollect  you  were  on  the  point  of  chang- 
ing your  residence.  I  beg  you  to  oifer  my  best  remembrance 
to  Mrs.  Murchison,  and  my  friends  Dr.  E.  and  Back  desire 
theirs  to  you;  the  latter,  as  well  as  Mr.  Kendall,  have  made 
several  very  interesting  sketches,  which  I  shall  have  great 
pleasure  in  showing  you  and  Mrs.  Murchison  on  our  return. 
1  >id  I  mention  to  you  that  my  friend  A.  Garry,  Esq.,  Deputy- 
Governor  of  the  H.  B.  Co.,  has  promised  to  forward  any 
letters  for  the  expedition  if  sent  to  him  at  the  H.  B.  house, 
Fonchurch  Street,  London  1  and  I  need  not  now  say  how 
happy  I  shall   be  to  hear  from   you.     Will   you  tell  Mr. 


If 


132 


Sir  yolm  Franklin, 


Gladstone,  with  my  best  compliments,  that  we  were  delighted 
with  the  kind  reception  we  met  at  Liverpool  1 

Ever,  my  dear  Sir, 

Very  truly  yours, 

John  Franklin. 


Good  news  came  from  Fort  Good  Hope  on  the  20th 
of  December.  The  Loucheux  had  seen  the  Esquimaux, 
who  had  found  the  presents  left  for  them,  and  would 
be  delighted  to  welcome  their  visitors  in  spring. 
Christmas  Day  fell  on  a  Sunday.  Next  night  a  dance 
was  given.  Songs  were  sung  in  English,  French,  and 
Gaelic,  and  the  Babel  of  tongues  which  enlivened  the 
motley  scene  may  be  imagined  when  it  is  stated  that 
the  company,  numbering  sixty,  were  made  up  of  eight 
nationalities.  On  the  16  th  of  January,  a  packet  of 
letters  and  journals  arrived  from  England,  and  eagerly 
was  the  news  of  the  year  discussed,  as  if  its  events  had 
occurred  the  day  '^efore. 

The  Dog  Eibs  had  at  length  been  induced  to  take 
themselves  off  to  other  quarters.  It  was  high  time,  for 
provisions  were  running  short.  There  was  no  more 
dried  meat,  and  the  fish  was  not  only  becoming  scarce, 
but,  being  out  of  season,  made  some  of  the  men  ill. 
So  Franklin  was  forced  to  send  to  Fort  Norman  for 
some  of  the  stores  meant  for  spring  consumption.  At 
the  same  time  he  wrote  to  York  Factory  for  further 
supplies,  and  to  request  that  provisions  should  be  got 


Good  Omens, 


133 


ready  for  his  home  journey.  But  there  were  to  be  none 
of  the  horrible  starvation  experiences  of  1821.  In 
February,  just  as  they  were  all  getting  tired  of  short 
allowance,  some  moose  deer  were  killed,  and  though 
the  party  did  not  obtain  all  the  meat,  owing  to  the  Dog 
Rib  hunters  having  eaten  almost  all  tliey  had  them- 
selves killed,  gorging  so  as  to  be  unable  to  move,  and 
becoming  seriously  ill,  yet  there  was  no  more  lack  of 
food.  Fish  soon  became  plentiful,  and  the  dogs  grew 
fat.  Indeed  such  hardship  as  there  had  been  was  not 
without  its  compensating  circumstances,  as  it  brought 
out  the  excellent  disposition  of  the  men.  One  of  the 
seamen,  Robert  Spinks,  said  to  Franklin,  "  Why,  sir, 
we  never  minded  the  short  allowance,  but  were  fearful 
of  having  to  use  the  pemmican  intended  for  next 
summer.  We  only  care  about  the  next  voyage,  and 
shall  all  be  glad  when  the  spring  comes  that  we  may 
set  off.  Besides,  at  the  worst  time  we  could  always 
spare  a  fish  for  each  of  our  dogs."  And  this  was  not 
mere  talk,  for  the  three  dogs  he  had  had  in  charge  were 
in  better  condition  than  any  of  the  othera. 

Franklin  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  doing  good 
to  the  natives  of  the  districts  he  visited.  On  this 
expedition  he  had  made  it  a  rule  to  make  no  presents 
of  rum  to  the  Indians.  And  now  he  seized  an  oppor- 
tunity of  teaching  the  Dog  Ribs  a  useful  lesson.  The 
Chipewyan  hunters  brought  in  a  Dog  Rib  girl  aged 
twelve,  who  had  been  left  to  starve  to  death  by  her 


134 


Sir  yohn  Franklin^ 


\m  I 


iillI'MI 


iiil 


In  \ 

m 

III 


■iiiii 


tribe,  when  they  were  only  one  day's  march  from  the 
fishing  station  for  which  they  were  making,  merely 
because  she  could  not  keep  up  with  their  pace.  On 
the  Dog  Kibs  coming  to  the  house,  Franklin,  in  their 
presence,  rewarded  the  Chipewyans  handsomely,  and 
then  lectured  the  inhuman  wretches  severely  on  their 
conduct. 

On  Mareh  the  22nd,  a  startling  rumour  reached  the 
Fort.  At  the  Athabasca  and  Slave  Lakes  a  rumour 
had  been  brought  by  Chipewyans  that  relics  of  white 
people  and  their  recent  footsteps  in  the  snow  had  been 
found  eastwards  of  the  Coppermine  Eiver  on  the  sea- 
coast.  Concluding  that  this  was  some  hunting  party 
sent  by  Captain  Parry,  Franklin's  party  were  full  of 
excitement  and  joy,  and  drank  the  healths  of  him  and 
Captain  Beechey  that  night  in  a  bowl  of  punch. 

It  was  now  drawing  near  the  time  when  the  start  for 
the  coast  must  be  made,  and  the  carpenters  had  com- 
pleted a  new  boat,  on  the  model  of  the  Lion,  called  the 
Reliance.  It  was  26  feet  long  by  5  feet  8  inches 
broad.  Having  few  nails,  they  had  cut  up  tools  to  maker 
some.  For  tar  they  used  strips  of  canvas  soaked  in 
caoutchouc  varnish ;  and  instead  of  paint,  they  boiled 
resin  from  the  pine-tree&  and  mixed  it  with  grease. 
The  other  boats  were  thoroughly  repaired,  and  the 
following  arrangements  made.  Beaulieu  and  four 
Canadians  were  to  go  to  Dease  River,  in  Bear  Lake, 
with  a  boat,  and  to  wait  there  for  Dr.  Eichardsou's 


1  li 


Plan  of  Operations, 


135 


return  till  the  20th  of  September.  If  he  was  not  back 
then,  they  were  to  leave  the  boat,  with  plenty  of  pro- 
visions, and  return  to  the  Fort.  Mr.  Dease  was  told 
that  Franklin's  division  might  join  the  Blossom,  and  go 
home  by  Canton ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  might 
have  to  winter  on  the  sea  coast,  and  therefore  he  wus 
to  keep  Fort  Franklin  in  repair  and  well  victualled  all 
through  the  next  year,  1827,  and  till  the  spring  of  1828. 
Dr.  Richardson  was  told  to  wait  in  the  Fort  till  1827, 
and  then,  after  seeing  that  Mr.  Dease  was  carrying  out 
these  orders,  was  to  go  back  to  England.  On  the  15th 
of  June  the  boats  were  launched,  and  the  men  appointed 
to  their  posts.  Fourteen,  including  Augustus,  accom- 
panied Franklin  and  Back  in  the  Lion  and  Heliance. 
Two  of  these  were  Canadians,  who  volunteered  to  a 
man  when  Franklin  said  he  wanted  two  to  make  up 
his  number.  Ten,  including  Ooligbuck,  went  with 
Richardson  and  Kendall  in  the  Dolphin  and  Union. 
That  night  there  was  a  merry  dance,  and  on  the  longest 
day  of  1826  the  ice  on  the  lake  was  broken  by  a  strong 
..westerly  breeze,  and  the  men  embarked  in  the  evening. 
On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  the  officers  left  the  Fort, 
and  one  old  man,  Pascal  Cot^,  the  fisherman,  was  left 
in  charge  till  Mr.  Dease  should  return  from  Fort  Norman. 
He  set  up  a  hearty,  though  solitary  cheer  as  they  went 
off,  and  the  whole  party,  in  full  chorus,  responded. 

Bear  Lake  River  was  at  first  found  too  choked  by 
drifting  ice-masses  to  be  safely  navigated,  but  the  party. 


^ 


^* 


136 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


reached  Fort  Norman  on  tlie  Mackenzie  liiver  by  tlio 
25th.  There,  to  their  sorrow,  they  learnt  that  tlie 
rumour  of  Parry  being  on  the  coast  was  false,  and  that 
the  Indians  had  merely  seen  some  fresh  cut  wood  and 
a  deer  slain  by  an  arrow,  which  was  probably  the 
handiwork  of  Esquimaux.  Parting  from  Mr.  Deaso 
and  the  Canadians  on  the  28th,  they  accomplished  the 
312  miles  from  Fort  Norman  to  Fort  Good  Hope  by 
the  1st  of  July,  and  found  a  large  party  of  Loucheux 
waiting  for  them.  These  men  had  quarrelled  with  the 
Esquimaux  at  the  Red  River  lately,  but  had  not  come 
to  blows.  The  chief  said  he  had  told  these  Esquimaux 
that  Franklin  was  coming,  but  Franklin  doubted  his 
word.  Moreover,  he  knew  nothing  of  the  channels  of  the 
Mackenzie,  and  of  the  tribes  to  the  west  of  its  mouth. 
So  Franklin  determined  not  to  take  the  two  engaged  by 
Dease  to  act  as  guides,  especially  as  he  found  they  had 
reckoned  on  bringing  their  wives  and  families  along 
with  them.  On  hearing  this  the  two  were  very  violent, 
]i)ut  after  Franklin  had  in  vain  tried  for  a  couple  of 
hours  to  pacify  them,  he  found  that  their  disappoint- 
ment was  assumed  merely  to  get  an  additional  present, 
which,  when  given,  restored  their  good  humour  imme- 
diately. 

On  the  3rd  they  reached  the  point  where  the  river, 
broadening  out,  is  divided  into  several  channels,  and  on 
arriving  at  a  branch  flowing  westwards  towards  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  Franklin  determined  that  his  party 


The  Expedition  Starts. 


137 


should  here  strike  away  alone.  Kichardson  was  directed 
to  make  tor  the  eastern  shore  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Mackenzie,  survey  the  coast  to  the  Coppermine  River, 
and  then  travel  overland  to  the  north-east  arm  of  Bear 
Tiake,  where  he  would  find  Beaulieu.  But  if  he  found 
that  there  was  no  prospect  of  reaching  the  former  point 
by  the  end  of  August,  or  the  latter  by  the  20th  of 
September,  he  was  not  to  persevere  beyond  the  15th  or 
20th  of  August,  but  was  to  make  his  way  back  by  the 
Mackenzie,  or  as  he  judged  best.  The  point  where 
these  arrangements  were  made  was  called  Point 
Separation ;  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  Franklin's  party 
set  off,  at  Richardson's  desire,  hrst,  amid  the  cheers  of 
their  friends.  Augustus  was  very  melancholy  at 
parting  from  Ooligbuck,  but  soon  recovered  his  spirits. 
Franklin  could  not  help  contrasting  his  former  voyage 
in  a  frail  bark  cance,  scantily  provisioned,  with  his 
present  equipment — two  excellent  boats,  manned  by 
Englishmen,  and  food  for  three  months'  consumption. 
The  crews  of  the  two  boats  were  as  follows : — In  the 
Lion  with  Franklin — William  Duncan,  Thos.  Mathews, 
Gustavus  Aird,  George  Wilson,  Archibald  Stewart, 
Neil  Macdonald,  and  Augustus.  On  the  Reliance  with 
Back  were  Robert  Spinks,  Robert  Hallom,  Charles 
Mackenzie,  Alexander  Currie,  Robert  Spence,  Alexia 
Vivier,  Francois  Felix. 


I ;  i'f 


CHAPTER    X. 

franklin's  second  expedition  (continued). 

Franklin's  Voyage  down  the  Mackenzie — Encounter  with  Esquimaux 
—Good  Conduct  of  Augustus — Voyage  to  Reiurn  Reef— Fogs— 
Sfcturn  to  Fort  Franklin. 

ON  the  7th  of  July  the  boats  gained  the  mouth  of 
the  Mackenzie,  and  Franklin  discovered  a  number 
of  Esquimaux  on  an  island  in  it.  He  resolved  on 
visiting  them,  accompanied  only  by  Augustus,  and  told 
Back  to  keep  the  boats  afloat,  and  the  crews  with  tlieir 
guns  ready,  but  by  no  means  to  fire  except  as  a  last 
resort.  The  bay  was  about  six  miles  wide,  and  the 
water  shallow  near  the  island,  so  that  the  boats  touched 
the  ground  when  a  mile  from  the  beach. 

Shouting,  and  making  signs  to  the  Esquimaux  to 
come  to  the  boats,  Franklin  made  his  men  pull  into 
deeper  water.  At  first  three  and  then  scores  of 
kaiyacks  covered  the  intervening  spacD.  The  three 
foremost  received  the  present  offered  them,  and  on 
Augustus  detailing  the  object  of  the  visit,  and  the 
prospect  of  a  profitable  trade  resulting  from  it,  they 
repeated  what  he  said  to  the  rest,  who  raised  a  deafen- 


Encounter  with  Esquimaux. 


139 


ing  shout  of  applause.  A  brisk  exchange  of  goods 
hegan.  From  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred 
people  thronged  round  the  boats,  all  eager  to  share  in 
the  lucrative  trade.  Franklin  amid  the  din  could  get 
no  intelligence  about  the  coast,  and,  finding  their 
importunity  troublesome,  ordered  the  boats'  heads  to 
be  put  to  seaward.  The  Esquimaux  did  not  thwart 
him ;  they  even  shoved  the  Lion  off  when  it  grounded 
in  turning.  Both  boats,  however,  were  fast  aground, 
as  the  tide  was  ebbing,  and  the  Esquimaux  said  the 
whole  bay  was  equally  flat.  Just  at  this  moment  a 
kaiyack  was  upset  by  one  of  the  LiorCs  oars,  and  its 
owner  plunged  head  foremost  into  the  mud.  Out  of 
compassion  he  was  taken  into  the  Liorty  and  Augustus 
wrapped  him  in  his  own  greatcoat.  This  fellow  begged 
for  everything  he  saw,  and  was  very  angry  at  being 
refused.  He  told  his  friends  of  all  the  bales  and  untold 
wealth  he  had  seen  in  the  Lion,  and  some  of  the 
younger  ones  tried  to  board  the  boat.  Franklin's  flag 
seemed  the  most  coveted  object,  so  he  had  it  furled 
and  stowed  away,  but  finding  it  very  hard  to  keep  them 
off,  he  at  last  admitted  two  chiefs,  on  their  promising 
to  make  the  rest  stand  aloof. 

Profiting  by  this  respite,  the  Beliance  got  into  deeper 
water,  but  the  Lion  stuck  fast,  and  Bade  fastened  a 
tow-line  to  her.  The  hero  of  the  ducking  was  now 
discovered  with  a  pistol  under  his  shirt.  He  had 
6tolen   it   from   Back,   and  jumped  out   with   it   and 


140 


Si^'  John  Franklin, 


irilil' 


Augustus'  coat.  By  this  time  the  water  was  only 
kiiee-deep,  and  the  younger  Esquimaux  began  slyly 
to  steal  everything  within  their  reach.  ♦So  Franklin 
told  the  two  chiefs  that  he  found  himself  much  incom- 
moded by  such  a  crowd,  and  that,  if  they  would  go 
away  for  the  present,  he  would  come  back  another 
time,  and  bring  them  a  large  present  from  the  ship 
expected  on  the  coast.  They  retired  at  once  with  cries 
of  "  Teyma."  Franklin  thought  the  danger  was  over, 
but  was  soon  undeceived.  They  were  only  concerting 
a  plan  of  attack,  and  at  once  began  to  haul  the  Reliance 
to  the  beach,  smiling  good-naturedly  when  Back 
remonstrated,  and  repeating  the  word  "  Teyma,  teyma." 
To  show  they  meant  peace,  they  tossed  their  knives 
and  arrows  into  the  boat.  The  Lion  tried  to  follow,  but 
could  not  till  the  Esquimaux  dragged  her.  Two  of 
the  strongest  jumped  in,  and,  seizing  Franklin  by  the 
wrists,  forced  him  to  sit  between  them,  and  as  he  shook 
them  off,  a  third  stood  by  to  catch  his  arm  whenever 
he  tried  to  lift  his  gun  or  dagger.  All  this  time  they 
kept  patting  his  breast  with  their  hands  and  pressing 
his  against  their  breasts.  As  soon  as  the  Reliance  was 
ashore,  a  number  drew  their  knives,  stripped  them- 
selves to  the  waist,  and  began  a  regular  pillage  of  the 
boat,  handing  the  articles  to  the  women,  who  quickly 
conveyed  them  away.  Back's  men  resisted,  but  were 
overpowered  by  numbers.  One  cut  the  buttons  from 
Vivier's   coat,    and   others,    flourishing    knives,   gazed 


r, 


\ 


A  Critical  Moment, 


141 


gloatingly  at  the  anchor-buttons  on  Back's  waistcoat. 
Then  one  young  chief  seated  himself  on  his  knee,  and 
drove  the  others  off. 

It  was  now  the  Lion's  turn  to  be  attacked.  Franklin, 
with  Augustus,  had  gone  to  the  help  of  the  Meliance, 
and  Augustus,  with  great  boldness,  rushed  among  the 
crowd,  reproaching  them  with  their  treachery.  But 
Franklin  was  recalled  to  the  Lion  by  Duncan,  for 
there  the  assailants  were  brandishing  their  knives 
furiously,  and  stealing  everything  movable,  trying  in 
particular  to  carry  off  the  box  of  astronomical  instru- 
ments, til]  Duncan  fastened  it  to  his  leg  by  a  cord. 
Hitherto  both  sides  had  remained  comparatively  cool, 
in  spite  of  the  heavy  blows  which  the  Englishmen 
dealt  with  the  butts  of  their  muskets.  But  matters 
now  grew  more  serious.  The  savages,  boarding  the 
Lion,  tried  to  wrest  from  the  seamen  their  daggers  and 
shot-belts.  Back  sent  the  friendly  chief  to  the  rescue, 
and  he  released  Franklin  just  in  time  to  enable  him 
to  prevent  Wilson  from  shooting  a  man  who  had  tried 
to  stab  him.  But  his  own  gun  was  immediately  made 
the  object  of  the  struggle,  and  matters  were  growing 
serious,  when  suddenly  all  the  assailants  ran  away, 
and  hid  themselves  on  the  beach. 

This  sudden  metamorphosis  was  produced  by  the. 
levelled  muskets  of  the  crew  of  the  Reliance,  which 
Back  had  managed  to  get  afloat.     Then  the  Lion  got 
into  deep  water,  and  when  the  Esquimaux  were  again 


142 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


Ir 


preparing  to  approach  in  their  kaiyacks,  Franklin 
bade  Augustus  tell  them  he  would  shoot  the  first  man 
who  came  within  musket-range.  All  this  time  the 
pillagers  had  stolen  little  of  value,  except  some  kettles, 
blankets,  shoes,  sails,  and  a  tent.  They  would  have 
been  given  all  else  they  had  purloined  if  they  had 
waited.  Franklin,  with  his  usual  generosity,  lavishes 
praise  on  the  crews  for  their  forbearance  and  coolness, 
which  certainly  they  deserved ;  but  it  is  none  the  less 
evident  that  it  was  mainly  owing  to  his  own  exhibition 
of  those  qualities  that  a  catastrophe  was  avoided. 

The  boats  soon  ran  aground  again,  and  were  laid 
side  by  side.  The  Esquimaux  proposed  that  Augustus 
should  go  to  them  and  hold  a  conference.  Franklin 
was  at  first  unwilling,  but,  seeing  the  friendly  chief 
among  them,  he  consented.  The  "  brave  little  fellow  " 
was  himself  eager  to  go,  and  came  back  safely,  after 
telling  the  Esquimaux  that  he  could  forgive  their 
thefts  from  him,  but  not  those  from  the  white  men,  who 
were  their  benefactors,  and  had  raised  up  his  own 
people  from  indigence  to  comfort.  Those  white  men 
would  never  visit  them  again  unless  they  showed  their 
sorrow  by  restoring  the  stolen  goods.  White  men  were 
not  afraid  of  numbers;  it  was  merely  out  of  pity  that 
they  had  not  used  their  guns,  which  would  kill  from  a 
distance ;  "  and,"  concluded  he,  "  I  also  have  a  gun, 
and  if  a  white  man  had  fallen,  I  would  have  been  the 
first  to  have  revenged  his  death." 


iiiiiil 


Bravery  of  Augustus, 


143 


Such  a  speech  at  such  a  moment  was,  as  Franklin 
says,  "  a  remarkable  instance  of  personal  courage."  But 
shouts  of  applause  greeted  the  orator,  and  his  audience 
pleaded  that  they  were  very  sorry,  and  really  could  not 
help  stealing  such  tempting  novelties,  and  would  never 
do  so  again.  Being  told  to  restore  the  large  kettle 
and  the  tent  as  a  proof  of  their  sincerity,  they  did  so, 
and  invited  Augustus  to  a  dance,  at  which  he  was 
present  for  an  hour.  As  night  cpme  on,  the  Esquimaux 
retired.  At  midnight  the  tide  flowed,  and  at  half-past 
one  a.m.  the  boats  floated,  and  were  rowed  six  miles 
along  the  western  shore,  when  "a  gale  came  on,  so  that 
they  had  to  be  unloaded,  and  all  the  party,  except  two 
left  on  guard,  lay  down  to  sleep,  after  twenty-four 
hours  of  incessant  anxiety  and  toil.  They  slept  till 
eleven,  and  were  mending  the  holes  made  in  their  sails 
by  the  Esquimaux  knives,  when  suddenly  Back  spied 
the  whole  fleet  of  kaiyacks  approaching.  Instantly 
they  hauled  the  boats  through  the  surf,  loaded  them, 
and  had  just  got  into  deep  water,  when  the  foremost 
paddler  came  within  hail,  holding  up  a  kettle,  which* 
he  said,  he  was  anxious  to  restore.  The  answer  was 
that  the  kaiyacks  must  keep  their  distance,  and  as  they 
still  pressed  on,  a  ball  was  fired  over  the  foremost  of 
them.    On  this  they  desisted. 

Subsequently,  Franklin  discovered  the  Esquimaux 
intentions.  Till  the  kaiyack  had  been  upset,  they  had 
been  friendly.     But  their  cupidity,  once  aroused,  had 


v 


144 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


i  '< 


excited  them  to  pillage,  and  most  of  them  wished  to 
massacre  the  whole  party.  Some,  however,  demurred, 
and  wished  to  spare  Augustus,  that  he  might  be  sent 
back  as  a  sort  of  decoy  with  some  specious  tale  to 
account  for  the  loss  of  his  companions,  as  otherwise  no 
more  white  men  would  visit  them.  After  the  dance, 
the  majority  regretted  being  persuaded  by  their  argu- 
ments, and  it  was  determined  to  massacre  all,  without 
exception,  if  a  chance  could  be  got.  The  kaiyack 
paddlers,  with  kettles  displayed,  were  meant  to  get  in 
iiie  way  of  the  boats  and  occupy  them  till  the  rest 
could  come  up,  and  thSn  the  attack  was  to  have  been 
made. 

The  boats  now  sailed  W.N.W.  along  the  coast,  till 
stopped  by  ice  adhering  to  the  shore  and  stretching  out 
to  sea  as  far  as  could  be  seen.  They  had,  in  fact,  been 
even  then  sailing  up  tho  only  water-lane  open,  for 
everywhere  else  the  sea  was  frozen  as  hard  as  in  winter, 
and  the  ice-hummocks  close  to  them  were  piled  up 
thirty  feet  high.  While  thus  jointly  detained,  the 
crews  were  roused  from  sleep  by  the  watch  reporting 
that  Esquimaux  were  at  hand.  They  were  three  in 
number,  and  being  given  presents,  and  harangued  by 
Augustus,  jumped  for  joy  at  what  he  told  them.  They 
were  members  of  a  party  two  miles  away,  and  Augustus 
went  to  pay  them  a  visit.  In  five  hours  he  returned 
with  twenty  men  and  two  women,  who  were  not 
allowed  to  come  nearer  to  the  boats  than  a  hundred 


ill 


|i! 


More  Esquimaux, 


145 


and  fifty  yards — a  stipulation  which,  always  after  this, 
Franklin  insisted  on  being  rigidly  observed.  They 
shook  hands  with  Back  and  Franklin,  who  prepared  to 
open  the  conference,  when  Augustus  begged  that  he 
might  put  on  his  gayest  dress  and  ornaments.  They 
were  lost  in  astonishment  at  his  splendour,  and  could 
attend  to  nothing  else  for  half-an-hour.  But  at  last 
Franklin  gleaned  that,  as  soon  as  an  off-shore  breeze 
blew,  the  ice  would  leave  a  passage  for  the  boats,  which 
would  be  clear  till  the  reappearance  of  the  stars — that 
further  west  the  ice  often  stuck  to  the  land  all  the 
summer,  and  even  if  broken  away,  was  driven  back  by 
the  first  sea-wind,  and  sledges  and  dogs  were  therefore 
necessary  for  coast  travelling.  Finding  that  these 
people  usually  frequented  the  Mackenzie  in  the  summer, 
Franklin  considered  these  to  be  exaggerated  reports. 

With  this  Esquimaux  tribe  Franklin  had  much  com- 
munication. They  had  knives,  which  they  must  have 
got  from  the  Russian  traders  or  through  the  Loucheux, 
but  other  articles  were  nearly  as  eagerly  demanded  and 
freely  supplied  to  them.  Some  they  applied  to  strange 
uses,  dancing  about  with  awls  stuck  into  their  noses, 
and  one  with  a  large  cod-fish  hook  dangling  there. 
The  women  put  the  earrings  and  thimbles  they  were 
given  on  their  dresses  as  ornaments.  They  were  about 
four  feet  and  a-half  or  four  feet  and  three-quarters  high. 
Back  sketched  some  of  them,  to  their  vast  delight. 
These  Esquimaux  expressed  themselves  very  strongly 


146 


Sir  jfohn  Franklin. 


against  the  first  Esquimaux.  They  were  bad  men,  they 
said,  who  always  quarrelled  with  or  stole  from  them 
when  they  met.  "  If,"  said  the  speaker,  "  you  are 
obliged  to  return  by  this  way  before  these  people 
remove,  we,  with  a  reinforcement  of  young  men,  will  be 
in  the  vicinity,  and  will  willingly  accompany  you  to 
assist  in  repelling  any  attack." 

On  the  ITth,  the  ice  having  been  broken  by  a 
westerly  breeze,  they  embarked,  but  were  forced  to  put 
back  again.  Heavy  rain  on  the  12  th  made  the  prospect 
more  hopeful,  and  they  launched  out  from  land,  hoping 
to  strike  across  instead  of  following  the  circuit  of  the 
coast  indentations.  A  gale  rose,  and  drove  such  masses 
of  ice  on  them,  that  lor  five  hours  they  were  in 
imminent  danger,  and  with  difficulty  found  a  beach 
where  they  could  encamp. 

On  the  15th  they  were  released  from  their  prison, 
but  could  only  make  their  way  through  the  ice  a  little 
distance  to  the  mouth  of  a  river,  to  which  Franklin 
gave  the  name  of  Babbage.  Day  after  day  was  spent  in 
this  cheerless  fashion.  Now,  they  would  be  enveloped 
in  fog,  and,  on  its  lifting,  see  a  channel,  which  they 
entered,  only  to  find  themselves  in  shoal  water,  or 
ice-locked  as  before.  Now,  they  would  be  forced  to 
haul  their  boats  across  some  projecting  reef.  Some^ 
times  a  fine  sheet  of  open  water  would  be  seen,  and 
they  would  fancy  the  hardest  of  their  toils  was  over. 
But  it  would  turn  out  to  be  an  ocular  delusion,  caused 


Dreary    Work, 


147 


by  the  fog  hanging  over  the  ice.  Or  it  might  be 
genuine  water,  with  seals  sporting  in  it ;  but  if  so,  it 
would  soon  be  passed,  and  the  old  dreary  outlook 
suaward  would  reappear — an  expanse  of  ice,  covered 
with  blocks  and  hills  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  Or  a  sea 
swell  would  rise,  and  they  wo"l  1  find  themselves  amid 
fantastic  masses  of  ice  overhanging  and  threatening  to 
crush  the  boats  as  they  were  pulled  through  the 
waterways  amid  the  chaos.  Perhaps  on  turning  some 
corner  they  came  on  a  fresh  batch  of  Esquimaux,  an 
excitement  which,  however  welcome  at  first,  soon  palled, 
as  scant  information  could  be  obtained  from  them  about 
the  western  coast,  and  these  grown-up  children  had  to 
be  watched  incessantly  lest  their  pilfering  instincts 
should  lead  to  mischief.  The  chase  gave  the  men 
occasionally  a  pleaoant  spell  on  shore,  but  few  reindeer 
.were  shot.  And  the  laud  had  discomforts  of  its  own, 
for  there  the  excursionists  were  assailed  by  myriads  of 
moh  juitoeSj  or  sank  ankle-deep  in  the  swampy  ground. 
Nor  dare  they  be  absent  from  tlie  boats  for  any  time, 
lest  the  ice  in  its  fickle  movements  should  open  while 
they  were  away.  The  anxiety  of  their  situation  left 
them  little  inclination  to  read,  and  still  less  to  devise 
amusements.  In  this  dull  and  monotonous  way  they 
crept  gradually  westwards  till  they  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  which  was  called  the  Clarence — the  most 
westerly  river  in  the  British  dominions  on  this  coast. 
Here  they  set  up  a  pile  of  drift  wood,  under  which  they 


148 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


%V^ 


jl     I 


deposited  a  tiu  box,  containing  a  royal  silver  nieilal  and 
an  account  of  their  voyage.  Then  the  Union  Jack  was 
hoisted  and  three  cheers  given.  On  the  30th  tho  sun, 
which  had  only  fitfully  shone  through  the  prevailing 
gloom,  just  revealing  the  picturesqueness  of  the  sad 
spectral  shapes  which  had  before  loomed  through  tlie 
mist,  was  visible  as  it  set  at  ele^^en,  warning  them  that 
the  time  for  their  operations  was  fast  slii)ping  away, 
though  so  little  had  been  done. 

About  the  beginning  of  August  a  violent  gale  tem- 
porarily cleared  away  the  fog  and  broke  up  the  ice, 
which  drifted  fast  to  the  west,  and  on  the  3rd  they  lost 
sight  of  Mount  Conybeare  for  the  first  time  since  tlie 
9th  of  July.  Very  considerable  progress  was  made  in 
the  next  forty-eight  liours,  and  they  met  several  parties 
of  Esquimaux,  from  whom  they  learnt  that  some  of 
their  nation,  inhabitants  of  the  westward  coast,  were 
not  far  ahead.  But  on  the  5th  they  were  brought  to  a 
standstill  by  an  unbroken  line  of  ice  from  the  shore. 
No  water  was  to  be  seen  in  the  dense  pack  seawards ; 
they  had  but  little  fuel,  and  the  water  froze  in  the 
kettle  at  night.  They  were  now  to  the  north  of  Flax- 
man  Island,  and  on  the  7th,  by  going  to  the  south  of  it, 
were  enabled  to  advance.  The  Lion  was  very  leaky, 
though  they  did  not  stop  while  they  could  keep  her  free 
by  baling.  The  glare  of  the  sun  made  them  mistake 
the  surf  breaking  on  a  reef  for  a  ripple  of  the  tide,  and, 
running  aground,  they  shipped  much  water.    A  strong 


Perpetual  Fog, 


149 


gale  was  now  blowing,  and  they  liad  some  difficulty  in 
landing,  having  to  carry  the  cargo  two  hundred  yards 
through  shoal  water,  in  crder  td  lighten  the  boats.  By 
midnight  the  leaks  had  been  made  good,  but  a  very 
thick  fog,  with  rough  weather,  prevented  movement. 
Sorrowfully  they  noted  the  havoc  wrought  by  the 
weather  on  the  flowers  which  were  blooming  when  they 
first  reached  the  coast,  but  were  now  withered,  and 
they  longed  for  a  decked  ship,  in  which,  with  provisions 
secure  from  the  waves,  and  able  to  sleep  in  shelter, 
they  might  sail  away,  regardless  of  the  gale,  straight 
^or  Icy  Cape. 

The  most  depressing  circumstance  of  this  voyage 
must  have  been  the  incessant  fog.  Foggy.  Island  was 
the  name  they  gave  the  place  of  their  present  encamp- 
ment. In  the  murky  atmosphere  they  sometimes 
sallied  out  to  shoot  deer,  which  took  wing  as  they 
approached,  and  turned  out  to  be  cranes  or  geese. 
Catching  a  glimpse  of  a  point  along  the  coast  in 
advance,  they  steered  for  it  by  compass  through  the 
fog.  But  they  could  find  no  camping-ground,  and 
were  forced  to  return  again  to  the  hateful  island,  which 
the  men  began  to  think  enchanted.  Cheery  though 
they  were,  they  were  leading  a  hard  life.  They  had 
been  since  the  8th  at  this  island.  On  the  11th  they 
were  hauling  the  boats  through  mud  for  more  than 
two  hours,  when  the  temperature  of  the  air  was  40*, 
and  of  the  water  41°.    At  night  thoir  legs  were  much 


PHJH 


I :  ' 


m 

mm 


150 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


swollen  and  inflamed.  Franklin  became  alarmed  lesl 
they  should  be  knocked  up  by  such  exposure,  and 
resolved  to  wait  for  clearer  weather.  On  a  shoal  coast, 
with  drifting  ice  at  sea  which  a  gale  may  drive  shore- 
wards,  fog  is  the  mo3t  dangerous  of  enemies.  Tliis 
year  it  seemed  to  haunt  the  expedition  as  if  it  were 
under  a  spell.  Three  times  only  in  1821  had  Franklin 
been  detained  by  fog  in  his  voyage  from  the  Copper- 
mine Kiver.  Now,  day  after  day,  the  same  veil  of 
ghostly  vapour  hid  everything  distant  more  than  four 
or  five  miles.  The  cause  of  this  diflerence  Franklin 
attributes  to  the  greater  accumulations  of  ice  on  this 
coast,  and  the  exhalations  from  it  and  from  the  swamps 
on  shore,  whereas  east  of  the  Coppermine  Eiver  the 
coast  is  more  high  and  dry. 

The  tents  had  now  become  so  saturated  by  the  fog  as 
to  be  very  comfortless,  and  it  was  necessary  to  be 
economical  with  the  fuel,  so  the  crew  had  to  sit  with 
their  feet  in  blankets  in  order  to  keep  them  warm. 
The  nights,  too,  were  lengthening.  Still  they  persevered, 
and  on  the  16th  sailed  at  last  in  sunshine  from  what 
Franklin,  with  one  of  the  only  two  touches  of  spleen 
to  which  he  ever  gives  vent  in  either  of  his  narratives, 
calls  "  this  detestable  island,"  and  rounded  the  reef 
which,  having  defied  all  their  efforts  so  long,  was  called 
Point  Anxiety.  But  their  pitiless  enemy  closed  in  on 
them  again,  and  with  a  rising  breeze  the  ice-drifts 
hemmed  them  in,  so  that  in  searching  for  a  lauding- 


Return  necessary. 


161 


place  they  fell  among  gravelly  reefs.  On  one  of  these 
they  were  forced  to  encamp,  though  there  was  no 
water,  and  not  more  than  one  fire's  fuel,  and  space 
above  water  only  five  hundred  yards  in  circumference. 

The  time  was  now  come  wlien  it  was  necessary  to 
consider  whether  a  further  advance  was  prudent  or 
possible.  The  party  was  just  half-way  from  the  Mac- 
kenzie to  Icy  Cape.  About  Icy  Cape  it  was  known 
from  Captain  Cook's  voyages  that  the  coast  was  of  a 
character  similar  to  this.  A  whole  month  had  been 
taken  up  in  exploring  ten  degrees  of  longitude.  Ten 
degrees  still  remained  to  be  explored.  The  summer 
was  at  an  end.  The  experience  of  1821  and  the  signs 
of  the  season  now  pointed  to  a  break-up  of  the  weather 
as  imminent.  The  cold  was  increasing.  Ice  formed  at 
night.  By  day  the  sun  had  less  power.  The  geese 
were  flying  westward.  Shipwreck  in  the  summer  had 
been  considered  probable  enough,  and  only  one  of  the 
hardships  which  it  was  their  duty  to  encounter.  Then 
they  would  only  have  had  a  toilsome  march  before  them. 
But  now,  when  so  far  from  home,  and  when  the  deer 
were  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  coast,  it  would  have 
been  fatal.  Moreover,  there  was  the  clause  in  Frank- 
lin's instructions  to  be  remembered,  which  ordered  him 
to  turn  back,  if  on  the  15th  or  20th  of  August  he  had 
no  reasonable  hopes  of  reaching  Kotzebue's  Inlet  that 
season. 

So,  in  spite  of  the  honourable  ardour  of  the  sailorb, 


Ji?*iVI»«V^s'»;'{F^;f.|"5**^.^'«''^?'^ 


i 


u  '1 


Mn 


p'4\ 


•'"ii 


152 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


who  were  still  eager  to  advance,  Franklin  reluctantly 
recognised  the  necessity  of  returning.  He  found 
subsequently,  from  Captain  Beechey's  experience,  that 
he  had  been  right.  A  boat  sent  by  him  eastwards  had 
actually  arrived  at  a  point  only  160  miles  distant ;  and 
could  Franklin  have  known  this,  no  difficulty  or  danger 
would  have  deterred  him  from  attempting  to  reach  her. 
But  that  very  boat  had  found  the  ice  and  the  coast  just 
as  Franklin  found  them,  and  it  was  not  till  it  had 
been  beset  for  several  days,  and  had  narrowly  escaped 
shipwreck,  that  it  rejoined  the  Blossom.  Therefore, 
having  by  this  time  traced  the  coast  westward  from  the 
Mackenzie  three  hundred  and  seventy-four  miles,  and 
having  named  the  furthest  point  they  could  see  after 
Captain  Beechey,  Franklin  began  his  homeward  journey, 
at  the  spot  which  he  designated  as  Return  Reef,  on  the 
18th  of  August.  In  the  afternoon  they  were  again  at 
Foggy  Island,  to  which  "  ill-omened  "  place  a  good  fire 
and  a  warm  meal  did  not  reconcile  them,  so  that  they 
hastened  to  get  away  as  soon  as  they  had  deposited 
coins  and  letters  under  some  timber  with  a  flag  flying 
on  it,  in  the  hopes  that  some  Esquimaux  might  find 
them  and  pass  them  on  to  the  fur  traders,  and  that  so 
Government  might  have  news  of  them  if  any  accident 
befel  the  party. 

-  As  they  proceeded,  they  saw  that  before  long  the 
new  ice  would  unite  the  pack  ice  to  the  shore.  A  gule, 
however,  sent  them  along  at  a  great  speed,  to  the 


"-^'jvmi'vtiWT^^tffV^fk^m 


Danger  ahead. 


153 


astonishment  of  the  friendly  Esquimaux  whom  they 
had  seen  during  their  former  passage.  But  having  to 
pass  through  a  channel  only  two  hundred  yards  wide  in 
a  dense  fog,  while  the  air  resounded  with  the  voices  of 
people  whom  they  could  not  see,  they  were  in  much 
anxiety  as  well  as  peril,  and  did  not  discover  Herschel 
Island,  the  harbourage  for  which  they  were  making,  till 
they  were  only  forty  yards  from  shore.  The  next  day 
also  it  blew  a  gale.  Tiie  boats,  racing  along  under  close- 
reefed  sails,  proved  themselves  very  buoyant,  but  such  a 
sea  ran  that  they  were  in  imminent  danger  of  foundering. 
It  was  therefore  necessary  to  steer  them  ashore  at  all 
hazards,  though,  as  there  were  but  few  landing-places, 
it  seemed  likely  that  they  would  be  staved  in.  As  it 
was,  the  surf  filled  them,  but  no  material  damage  was 
done,  and,  feeling  they  had  had  a  great  deliverance,  the 
crews  thankfully  reached  the  land. 

The  Esquimaux  had  witnessed  the  landing  with  the 
utmost  amazement,  and  now  most  good-naturedly  gave 
help,  sewing  sealskin  soles  over  the  men's  moccasins, 
to  make  them  fit  for  tracking.  From  them  too  it  was 
that  Franklin  learnt  what  the  designs  of  the  Mackenzie 
Esquimaux  had  been.  The  latter,  he  was  told  by 
another  party  further  on,  had  removed  eastwards,  and 
if  any  had  stayed  behind,  could  be  avoided  by  another 
channel  being  taken.  On  the  29th  more  Esquimaux 
were  met,  who  communicated  the  alarming  intelligence 
that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  drag  Kichardson's 


i\ 


i 


I 


154 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


boats  on  shore,  so  that,  as  the  natives  collect  in  numbers 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  when  the  summer  ends,  he 
would,  if  he  returned  the  same  way,  be  exposed  to 
extreme  danger.  Anxiety  for  their  friends,  however, 
soon  gave  place  to  the  same  fears  for  their  own  safety. 
I'wo  young  Esquimaux  came  running  at  full  speed  to 
say  that  Indians  had  come  down  from  the  mountains, 
with  the  express  purpose  of  assaulting  the  boats  and 
massacring  all  in  them.  An  old  man  to  whom  Franklin 
had  given  a  knife  had,  out  of  gratitude,  sent  them  to 
warn  him.  "  These  white  men,"  he  said,  "  have  been 
kind  to  us,  and  they  are  few  in  number,  why  should  we 
suffer  them  to  be  killed  ?  You  are  active  young  men ; 
run  and  tell  them  to  depart  instantly."  The  young 
men  said  the  English  had  guns,  and  could  defend  them- 
selves. "  True,"  said  this  sagacious  old  Esquimaux, 
"  against  a  small  force,  but  not  against  so  large  a  body 
of  Indians  as  this,  who  are  likewise  armed  with  guns, 
and  who  will  crawl  under  cover  of  the  drift  timber,  so 
as  to  surround  them  before  they  are  aware."  The 
messengers  urged  Franklin  to  embark  at  once,  for  the 
Indians  were  preparing  for  the  onset.  They  said 
they  were  chiefly  anxious  to  save  Augustus,  who  had 
inspired  them  all,  it  seems,  with  strong  affection,  and 
they  gave  minute  directions  as  to  the  course  to  be 
steered,  advising  that  at  night  the  encampment  should 
always  be  made  on  an  island  out  of  gunshot  from  the 
fihore.     The  Indians,  it  appeared,  hearing  of  the  arrival 


Fort  Franklin  again* 


155 


of  the  Englishmen,  and  fearing  they  would  spoil  their 
own  trade  with  the  Esquimaux,  had  come  down  to  lie 
in  wait  for  their  return.  Some  were  to  have  come  and 
offered  assistance  in  hauling  the  boats,  which  they  were 
to  have  staved  in,  and  then  the  assault  was  to  have 
been  made. 

It  was  an  anxious  moment,  for  one  of  the  crew, 
Robert  Spinks,  was  absent  hunting.  Directly  he 
returned  they  set  off,  after  liberally  rewarding  the  kind 
Esquimaux,  and  nothing  more  of  note  happened  to  them, 
till  a  week  later,  on  the  7th  September,  they  once  more 
arrived  at  Fort  Good  Hope.  On  the  21st  they  reached 
Fort  Franklin,  and  lO  their  extreme  joy  found  Eichard- 
son  and  his  party  there  alive  and  well.  In  the  voyage 
thus  happily  concluded  the  party  had  travelled  2,048 
statute  miles,  610  of  which  were  through  previously 
undiscovered  parts.  If  it  lacks  the  thrilling  interest  of 
Franklin's  first  expedition,  it  reflected  on  all  concerned 
in  it  the  highest  honour.  Of  perils  in  the  sea,  of  perils 
by  robbers,  of  perils  by  the  heathen,  of  weariness  and 
painfulness,  of  watchings  often,  there  had  been  enough 
to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  reader  of  adventures  in  tlie 
northern  seas.  But  the  admirable  foresight  shown  by 
the  leader  in  planning  the  voyage,  and  his  wisdom  in 
its  execution,  had  happily  rendered  all  those  dangers 
less  romantically  impressive  than  they  would  have  been 
if  some  of  the  crew  had  been  butchered  in  bloody 
combat  with  the  Esquimaux,  or  if  starvation  had  carried 


150 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


off  others  in  consequence  of  a  foolhardy  persistence  in 
an  impossible  advance.  Not  really  prosaic,  though  so 
substantial  as  to  seem  so,  was  the  success  of  the  expe- 
dition. For  the  second  time  Franklin  had  failed  in 
accomplishing  his  full  object ;  but  short  of  that  every- 
thing had  gone  well,  and  it  may  be  said  that,  throughout 
the  journey,  the  men  on  whom  he  so  generously  and 
justly  lavishes  his  warmest  praise  were  not  more  worthy 
of  their  commander  than  the  commander  showed  him- 
self worthy  of  the  men. 


CHAPTER    XL 

FRAISXLIN'S  SECOND  EXPEDITION   (CONTINUED). 

Richardson's  Voyage  down  the  Mackenzie — Encounter  with  Esquimaux 
— Richardson's  opinion  of  Franklin — He  reaches  the  Coppermine 
River  and  Fort  Franklin — Second  Winter  at  Fort  Franklin — Doj,' 
Rib  Traditions — Return  to  England. 

DR  RICHARDSON  and  his  party  waited  till  the 
cheers  of  their  friends  died  away  round  a  projecting 
point,  and  then  themselves .  embarked  on  their  voyage. 
In  the  Dolphin  were  himself,  Thomas  Gillet,  John 
M'Lellan,  Shadrack  Tysoe,  Thomas  Fuller,  and  Oolig- 
buck;  in  the  Union,  Mr.  Kendall,  John  M'Leary, 
George  Munroe,  William  Money,  John  M'Duffey,  and 
George  Harkness. 

The  direct  distance  from  the  Mackenzie  to  the 
Coppermine  River  was,  they  knew,  less  than  five 
hundred  miles,  and  having  provisions  for  upwards  of 
eighty  days,  they  were  full  of  confidence  and  enthusiasm. 
Taking  the  channel  first  explored  by  Mackenzie,  and 
more  carefully  surveyed  by  Franklin  iu  the  preceding 
autumn,  they  went  along  it  about  ten  miles,  and  then 
struck  a  branch  flowing  eastwards  through   flat   and 


158 


Sir  yohn  Franklin. 


uninteresting  country,  in  which,  however,  flocks  of  sand 
martins  made  war  on  the  mosquitoes,  and  enlivened  the 
air  with  their  twittering.  On  the  first  day  they 
advanced  forty-two  miles.  At  night  the  arms  were 
examined,  and  a  watch  was  set — a  practice  which  was 
kept  up  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage.  Making  forty-four 
miles  next  day,  they  bivouacked  at  an  Esquimaux 
encampment,  and  left  some  presents  for  its  frequenters, 
with  hieroglyphics  written  by  Mr.  Kendall,  explaining 
the  peaceable  intentions  of  their  visit. 

On  the  7th  of  July  they  were  off  Eichard's  Island 
(so  they  named  it),  which  stretches  northwards  to 
the  very  mouth  of  the  river.  Here  they  saw  two 
women  on  the  shore,  who,  after  gazing  at  them 
in  amazement  for  a  few  minutes,  ran  into  the  tents. 
Out  rushed  the  men,  almost  naked,  making  furious 
gestures  of  fright  and  rage.  Ooligbuck  and  Richard- 
son landed  with  some  small  articles,  and  the  word 
"  noowoerlook  " — i.e.,  trade — acted  like  magic.  An 
old  woman  fetched  some  fish,  and  soon  a  crowd 
came  to  barter,  quickly  becoming  importunate  and 
threatening  in  their  looks  and  gestures.  Ooligbuck  said 
they  were  very  bad  people,  and,  taking  Richardson  on 
his  back,  carried  him  on  board.  One  ugly  fellow,  with 
a  brass  thimble  inserted  in  his  under  lip,  seized  the  tea- 
kettle, and  tried  to  hide  it,  but  was  forced  to  give  it  up. 
Wlien  the  boats  left  the  shore,  the  Esquimaux  in  their 
kaiyacks  foUowe  J,  and  an  amicable  exchange  of  goods 


"i  I 


Esquimatix  encountered. 


159 


was  kept  up  on  the  way.  They  showed  much  shrewd- 
ness in  the  bargains  they  made,  being  careful  not  to 
glut  the  market  by  displaying  too  much  of  their  stock- 
in-trade.  When  Ooligbuck  lit  his  pipe  they  called  out, 
"  Ookah,  ookah  "  (fire,  fire),  and  asked  to  be  told  what 
he  was  doing.  They  begged  Richardson  to  put  away 
an  Esquimaux  vocabulary  when  Ooligbuck  told  them 
that  it  spoke  to  him ;  and  afterwards  the  book  could  not 
be  found,  so  probably  they  purloined  it.  Seeing 
Richardson's  pocket  telescope,  they  understood  its  use 
at  once,  calling  it  "  Eeteeyawgah  "  (far  eyes),  the  name 
which  they  give  to  the  eye-sliades  which  they  use. 
They  were  quite  unable  to  pronounce  the  word 
"Doctor,"  and  so  spoke  of  Richardson  only  as 
"  Eheumattak "  (Chief).  But  they  could  pronounce 
Tysoe's  name  easily,  and  called  Gillet,  "  Hillet."  The 
women  were  not  bad-looking,  and  evidently  were  aware 
of  the  fact. 

Several  other  encampments  were  passed  the  same 
morning,  and  the  new-comers,  running  their  kaiyacks 
alongside,  seized  the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  and  tried 
to  steal  anything  within  their  reach.  The  crews  were 
compelled  to  keep  constantly  at  their  oars,  as  the 
moment  they  ceased  rowing,  the  pilfering  was  carried 
on  in  the  adroitest  fashion.  But  with  perfect  good 
humour  they  restored  every  stolen  article  as  soon  as  it 
was  demanded  back,  laughing  heartily  at  their  own 
discomfiture.    It  was  clear  they  were  friendly,  as  they 


160 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


answered  questions  readily,  pointed  out  the  deepest 
channels,  invited  the  crews  ashore  and  to  their  tents, 
offering  to  provide  them  with  wives,  among  other 
luxuries,  if  they  would  pay  tbem  a  visit.  But,  in 
accordance  with  Franklin's  experience,  as  their  cupidity 
became  inflamed  their  conduct  grew  more  equivocal. 
They  led  the  way  into  a  shallow  channel,  and  one 
of  them  made  an  attempt  to  board  the  Dolphin  by 
force.  Eichardson  tried  the  expedient  of  buying  up 
their  bows,  to  disarm  them,  and  found  them  very 
superior  to  the  Indian  bows.  They  were  made  of 
spruce  fir,  strengthened  by  cords  of  reindeer  skin,  and 
really  formidable  weapons.  Tow^ards  evening  the  boats, 
following  the  course  taken  by  the  savages,  grounded  in 
shoal  water,  and  in  attempting  another  the  Union  ran 
on  a  bank.  The  Esquimaux,  who  had  been  growing 
more  and  more  urgent  in  their  invitations  to  the  crews 
to  land,  tried  to  drag  the  boats  ashore,  and  Kendall 
called  out  that  he  should  be  obliged  to  fire,  as  he  saw 
men  coming  with  knives  in  their  hands  to  help  their 
companions.  Eichardson  gave  him.  liberty  to  do  so, 
but  at  the  sight  of  the  firearms  the  savages  all  fled. 
Till  the  muskets  were  produced,  they  probably  were 
doubtful  as  to  the  sex  of  their  visitors.  Among  them- 
selves only  crews  of  women  row  in  large  boats,  and  they 
must  have  thought  the  six-oarod  boats  to  be  a  species 
of  "  oomiak."  They  asked  Ovoligbuck,  too,  if  all  the 
white  women  had  beards. 


A    Welcome  Breeze, 


IGl 


The  place  vhere  these  events  occurred  was  uained 
Point  Encounter,  and  perhaps — as  the  natives  were 
seen  consulting  together — mischief  might  even  yet 
have  happened,  if  a  fresh  breeze  had  not  enabled  the 
sails  to  be  set,  and  the  weary  men  to  get  some  rest 
after  fourteen  hours*  incessant  rowing.  Ilichanlson 
called  out  to  the  kaiyacks  which  followed  him  that  he 
would  trade  no  more.  Soon  the  last  of  them  dropped 
behind,  calling  out, "  Teymak  peechawooloo" — '•  Friend- 
ship is  good."  These  people  informed  Eichardson  that 
the  Coppermine  Esquimaux  were  bad  people.  White 
people  they  called  **  Kabloonacht."  Ooligbuck  was  of 
little  service  as  an  interpreter,  for  he  spoke  no  English, 
but  his  presence  showed  that  the  white  people  were  on 
good  terms  with  the  Esquimaux,  and  personally  he 
was  devoted  to  his  officers,  and  laboured  cheerfully  at 
the  oar. 

Making  for  a  round  islet  in  order  to  encamp,  the 
boats  were  nearly  driven  on  shoals  by  a  violent  wind, 
and,  though  this  danger  was  avoided,  much  discomfort 
was  endured.  Hardly  had  the  weary  men  become 
warm,  after  lying  down  in  wet  clothes,  when  a  gust 
of  wind  blew  the  Union  from  her  moorings  towards 
a  surf-beaten  lee  shore.  She  was  saved  with  difficulty, 
and  once  more  they  lay  down  to  rest.  Then  another 
gust  came,  toie  up  the  tent-pegs,  and  brought  down  on 
them  the  tent,  saturated  with  rain.  There  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  get  up,  light  a  fire,  and  drj  themselves  as 

L 


r 


102 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


r■'■^■ ! 


I^i 


«%^;; 


liil'^    \ 


I" 

I  ill 


best  they  might.  Kendall's  mishaps,  however,  were 
not  over.  Stumbling  against  a  tent-pole,  he  drove  a 
small  two-edged  knife,  which  he  wore  round  his  neck, 
into  his  ribs,  just  over  the  heart.  Luckily  it  stuck  in 
the  bone. 

That  evening,  as  they  lay  at  anchor  in  the  cave 
where  they  had  taken  refuge,  Kichardson  saw  what  he 
supposed  to  be  kaiyacks  passing  across  the  mouth. 
But  it  turned  out  that  the  objects  were  drift-wood 
stumps,  magnified  by  the  haze.  Quitting  the  cave 
in  the  evening,  they  saw  the  ice-blink,  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th,  and  the  ice  coming  down  drove 
them  to  the  shore,  where  they  saw  many  Esquimaux 
huts.  The  rows  of  drift-trees,  planted  roots  uppermost 
in  the  sand,  often  seemed  like  human  beings,  and  some- 
times like  the  spires  of  a  town.  They  learnt  to  make 
for  these  objects  whenever  they  wished  to  land,  as  the 
Esquimaux  had  placed  them  where  the  shore  could  be 
approached  most  safely.  On  the  10th  the  water  became 
brackish,  white  whales  were  seen  in  the  offing,  and  they 
saw  they  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  the 
sea.  A  glass  of  grog,  kept  for  this  occasion,  was  given 
to  each  of  the  men. 

On  the  11th  and  12th  they  were  constrained  to 
inaction  by  the  weather.  They  found  some  amusement 
in  watching  the  sagacity  of  two  black  foxes,  which, 
having  stolen  some  scraps  of  meat,  buried  them  in  the 
sand,  putting  each  bit  in  a  separate  hole,  and   the 


111 
III 


?/j 


More  Esquimaux. 


16a 


largest  bits  in  the  lioles  farthest  from  the  sea.  They 
also  met  some  more  Esquimaux,  who  welcomed  them, 
and  invited  them  to  their  tents.  Declining  this,  they 
rowed  along  the  coast  till  stopped  by  the  rain,  and 
when  they  again  set  out  were  beset  by  a  thick  fog, 
amid  which  they  could  hear  the  sound  of  breakers, 
while  seeing  nothing.  They  did  not  know  how  far 
from  the  beach  they  were,  but,  coming  on  a  long  line  of 
seaweed,  and  guessing  that  it  came  from  the  mouth  of 
a  river,  they  groped  their  way  into  an  inlet,  where  they 
stayed  for  the  night.  Making,  next  day,  thirty  and 
a-half  miles,  they  saw  to  their  delight,  on  the  16th, 
that  the  coast  which  had  hitherto  inclined  northward 
trended  to  the  south-east.  But,  after  pulling  to  a  point 
across  an  inlet,  they  found  it  to  be  part  of  an  islan<3, 
and  that  the  coast  trended  north-north-west  seven  or 
eight  miles  further  on.  To  the  south-west  a  large 
sheet  of  open  water  was  seen,  which  they  concluded 
was  Esquimaux  Lake. 

On  the  17th  they  rounded  Cape  Maitland,  and, 
crossing  Harrowby  Bay  on  the  18th,  came  upon  some 
Esquimaux.  The  men  brandished  their  knives,  and 
forbade  them  to  land.  To  all  protestations  of  friend- 
ship they  replied  by  hideous  grimaces  and  contortions, 
standing  on  one  leg,  with  the  other  thrown  up  to  their 
heads.  "Noowaerlawgo"  (I  wish  to  barter)  quietedj 
them,  and  the  women  were  made  supremely  happy  by 
some  trifling  presents,  dancing  in  their  boats  with  such 


1C4 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


ecstasy  as  almost  to  upset  them.  One  old  womiiri, 
catching  a  bundle  of  beads,  hugged  it  with  rapture  to 
her  breast;  another,  who  had  missed  the  treasure,  was 
the  picture  of  despair.  Being  told  that  the  beads  were 
for  all,  they  divided  them  at  once  and  sang  a  pleasant 
song  of  gratitude.  In  coaxing  fashion  they  drew  their 
liaked  children  out  of  their  boots,  where  they  carry 
them,  and  begged  for  more  beads.  When  Ooligbuck — 
first  warning  them  of  what  he  was  going  to  do — fired 
his  gun,  the  ice  sent  back  an  echo,  and  they  thought 
the  ball  had  struck  the  shore  a  mile  away.  Richardson 
learnt  from  them  that,  between  some  land  northwards 
and  the  main  land,  there  was  a  passage  leading  to  the 
sea.  He  concluded,  from  their  accounts  and  his  own 
observations,  that  the  archipelago  through  which  he  had 
been  threading  his  way  thus  far  had  been  raised  by  the 
Mackenzie  Eiver,  and  that,  owing  to  the  islands  acting 
as  a  barrier  between  the  sea  and  the  river,  the  waters 
of  the  latter,  overflowing  the  low  land  along  the  coast, 
bad  formed  the  great  Esquimaux  Lake,  which  the 
natives  described  as  extending  140  miles  from  north  to 
south,  and  150  from  east  to  west. 

After  Cape  Bathurst  had  been  doubled,  the  coast 
seemed  to  trend  straight  for  the  Coppermine  Eiver.  In 
stormy  weather,  and  harassed  much  by  fogs,  they 
Bailed  past  some  cliffs  of  bituminous  shale,  which  was 
on  fire,  and,  when  they  had  got  about  half-way  to 
the    Coppermine    River,    were    disappointed    to    find 


1  ■,! 


Richardson  on  Franklin, 


1G6 


another  cape  confronting  them.  Steering  nortliwards, 
therefore,  they  were  for  three  days  in  a  bay,  to  which 
Kicharclsou  gave  the  name  of  Franklin.  These  are  the 
comments  lie  makes  on  the  occasion : — "  It  would  not 
be  proper,  nor  is  it  my  intention,  to  descant  on  the 
professional  merits  of  my  superior  oftlcer;  but  after 
having  served  under  Captain  Franklin,  for  nearly  seven 
years,  in  two  successive  voyages  of  discovery,  I  may  be 
allowed  to  say  that,  however  high  his  brother  officers 
may  rate  his  courage  and  talents,  either  in  the  ordinary 
line  of  his  professional  duty  or  in  the  field  of  discovery, 
the  hold  he  acquires  upon  the  affections  of  those  under 
his  command,  by  a  continued  series  of  the  most  con- 
ciliating attentions  to  their  feelings  and  a  uniform  and 
unremitting  regard  to  their  best  interests,  is  most  con- 
spicuous. I  feel  that  the  sentiments  of  my  friends  and 
companions.  Captain  Back  and  Lieutenant  Kendall,  are 
in  unison  with  my  own,  when  I  affirm  that  gratitude 
and  attachment  to  our  late  commanding  ofHcer  will 
animate  our  breasts  to  the  latest  period  of  our  lives." 

The  cape,  when  reached,  was  named  after  Parry,  and 
a  letter  for  him  was  deposited  under  a  cairn  of  stones. 
For  days  afterwards  the  party  struggled  through  ice, 
which,  though  it  was  never  seen  by  them  so  closely 
packed  as  to  be  impenetrable  to  a  ship  under  full  sail, 
was  yet  dangerous  for  boats  like  theirs,  as  at  one  time 
it  would  threaten  to  crush  them,  and  at  another  to 
upset  them  when  it  "calfed,"  that  is  to  say,  when  it 


1  'M.-' 


166 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


¥mA 


^Ism 


S^ii,, 


broke  off  at  the  base  of  a  big  piece  and  suddenly  came 
up  above  the  surface.  Tiresome  progress  it  must  have 
been  to  press  through  such  obstacles,  never  knowing 
but  that  the  coast-line  might  prove  to  be  a  bay,  and 
thct  the  Coppermine  Eiver  might  at  any  time  be  as  far 
off,  as  the  crow  flies,  as  it  had  been  days  before.  Such 
a  sensation  they  had  on  the  4th  of  August,  when, 
sighting  land  to  the  north,  they  at  first  thought  it  to  be 
part  of  the  continent.  But  they  v.crs  rejoiced  to  find 
a  strait  between  it  and  the  mainland,  which  they 
christened  Dolphin  and  Union  Strait.  The  northward 
land  they  saw  was  named  Wollaston  Land;  and  why 
this — which  has  since  turned  out  to  be  an  island — 
sliould  now  be  known  by  other  names  it  is  hard  to  say. 
On  modern  maps  it  is  called  Prince  Albert  Land  and 
Victoria  Land,  but  surely  the  name  given  by  the  first 
explorers  sheuld  have  been  respected. 

In  high  spmts  at  having  passed  through  this  strait, 
and  with  a  fair  wind  under  which  the  boats  gaily 
bowled  along,  ihey  doubled  Cape  Pexley,  whence  tlie 
coast  trended  steadily  south -ea^st.  Ou  the  6th  the 
Dolphin  was  nipped  between  a  floe  and  some  ground 
ice,  and  one  of  her  timbers  was  broken.  On  the  7th 
they  entered  Coronation  Gulf,  thus  connecting  the  dis- 
coveries of  their  voyage  with  those  of  Franklin  in  1821. 
They  could  not,  however,  claim  the  Government  reward 
of  £5,000,  because,  though  it  was  ofl'ered  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  space  covered  by  them,  yet  the  course 


?^TpWiW'T^'^T''''''''^^5>'r«?SS!TT^^ 


The  Coppermine  River, 


167 


prescribed  was  from  west  to  east,  and  for  ships,  not 
boats.  On  the  8th  a  bold  cape  was  reached,  which 
Eichardson  named  after  Kendall,  and  from  its  summit 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  pointing  out  to  that  officer 
the  gap  in  the  hills  at  Bloody  Fall  through  which  the 
Coppermine  Eiver  flows.  For  fear  of  raising  hopes 
which  might  be  long  deferred,  he  had  till  then  given 
the  men  no  intimation  that  they  had  so  nearly  reached 
the  end  of  their  voyage.  Surprise  of  course  increased 
their  delight,  and  with  glad  and  thankful  hearts,  under 
sails  set  to  a  fine  breeze,  and  with  the  oars  at  work  also, 
they  steered  for  the  mouth  of  the  river,  passing  a  bay 
which  was  named  aftor  the  gallant  Back.  Then  the 
river's  mouth  was  reached,  and  they  encamped  not  a 
hundred  yards  from  where  Franklin  had  encamped  in 
1821.  The  distance  traversed  from  Point  Separation, 
where  they  had  parted  from  Franklin,  to  this  spot,  was 
902  statute  miles. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  the  river  was  ascended  about 
eleven  miles  to  Bloody  Fall.  Thera  the  trusty  boats 
were  abandoned,  and  the  party  headed  for  Bear  Lake, 
the  instruments,  food,  and  specimens  being  divided 
among  them  at  the  rate  of  seventy-two  pounds  per 
man.  They  also  carried  with  them  the  little  Walnut 
Shell;  but  as  it  proved  unfit  for  towing  purposes,  and 
there  were  no  rivers  which  could  not  be  forded  between 
them  and  Bear  Lake,  it  also  was  abandoned  on  the 
10th.    As  the  men  got  used  to  niarching,  and  their 


168 


Sir  John  Fra^iklin, 


Wa 


loads  were  lessened  by  their  own  appetites,  they 
advanced  more  rapidly,  killing  on  tlieir  way  with 
stones  some  partridges  as  tame  apparently  as  English 
pheasants.  On  the  15th  they  met  Indians,  who  at  first 
showed  suspicion,  but  on  recognising  Kichardson's 
dress,  which  he  had  worn  during  his  voyage  on  Bear 
Lake  the  preceding  autumn,  they  welcomed  him  witii 
shouts  of  joy.  It  seemed  they  had  been  for  some 
time  hunting  in  the  neighbourhood,  in  view  of  this 
meeting.  They  conducted  the  party  to  a  better  route 
for  walking,  and  on  the  18th  a  bay  of  the  Great  Bear 
Lake  was  reached,  where  they  breakfasted,  and  found 
that  they  had  ;rovisions  for  two  days*  consumption  left. 
The  question  now  arose,  where  was^  Beaulieu  ?  He  had 
been  ordered  to  leave  Fort  Franklin  on  the  6th  of 
August,  and  should  have  been  in  waiting  instead  of 
waited  for.  Day  after  day  passed,  and  still  he  did  not 
come,  and,  fearing  some  accident  must  have  happened, 
Richardson  began  to  think  they  would  be  forced  to  go 
on  foot  to  the  Fort  round  the  lake,  that  is  to  say,  over 
300  miles.  It  would  take  at  least  three  weeks,  and  the 
men's  shoes  were  worn  out,  their  clothes  were  too  thin 
for  the  frosty  nights  of  September,  and  few  deer  could 
be  found  on  the  w\ay.  The  prospect  was  alarming,  but 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  start,  when  on  the  24Lh 
the  truant  at  last  appeared,  pleading  stress  of  weather 
as  the  cause  of  his  delay.  On  the  1st  of  September 
the  party  regained  Fort  Franklin,  after  a  journey  by 


Winter  Occupations. 


109 


water  and  land  of  1,080  statute  miles,  during  which  not 
a  murmur  had  been  heard  froni  one  of  its  members, 
amid  many  toils  and  hardships. 

How  to  spend  the  winter  was  now  the  only  question 
which  Franklin  had  to  consider,  for  the  main  objects  of 
the  expedition  had  been  attained.  Unfortunately,  the 
chances  of  famine  were  by  no  means  remote.  The  lazy 
Fort  hunters  and  Dog  llibs  had  stored  but  little  meat, 
alleging  that  they  were  afraid  of  encountering  the 
Copper  Indians  in  the  woods.  Beaulieu,  too,  the  best 
Imnter,  procured  his  discharge,  and  though  he  took  away 
with  him  seventeen  idle  followers,  which  was  a  great 
relief  to  the  stores,  his  loss  would  have  been  grievously 
felt  at  a  pinch.  Every  effort  was  made  to  collect 
fish ;  but  when  it  became  out  of  season,  it  disagreed 
with  some  of  the  men  so  much  as  to  produce  serious 
debility.  The  poor  dogs  also  necessarily  went  on  short 
commons,  and  would  be  unable  to  draw  the  sledges  iu 
spring  until  their  strength  was  recruited.  The  outlook 
was  not  therefore  very  bright.  But  the  arrival  of  a 
large  packet  of  letters  from  England,  containing  the 
news  of  Back's  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Commander, 
cheered  everyone ;  and  though  the  cold  at  times  was  so 
severe  that  on  one  occasion  Kendall  froze  some  mercury 
in  a  bullet-mould,  and  at  six  paces  penetrated  a  door 
with  it  an  eighth  of  an  inch,  yet  they  got  through  the 
dark  months  without  any  severe  privations.  The  same 
efforts  as  before  were  made  by  the  ofiicers  to  instruct 


UPPUP^  -'lPl*il!l!pPfPif«'i#fF,^'M!^ 


fWWISS^^ 


170 


Str  jfohn  Franklin. 


'I 


.  I 


and  amuse'  the  men,  who  responded  as  heartily  to 
them.  Back  came  out  in  a  new  ,  character,  writ- 
ing a  comic  piece,  which  was  acted  by  pasteboard 
marionettes,  and  had  a  successful  run  of  three  nights. 
The  reindeer  arrived  in  February,  and  after  that  tliere 
was  no  lack  of  meat. 

Franklin,  meanwhile,  had  determined  to  set  out  as 
soon  as  possible  for  Eugland,  going  by  the  ice  to  Fort 
Chipewyan,  and  making  arrangements  in  advance  for 
the  provisioning  of  the  main  body  on  their  homeward 
journey.  Hearing  the  ice  was  in  bad  condition,  he 
changed  his  route,  and  set  out  for  Fort  Simpson,  by 
way  of  the  woods,  on  the  20th  of  February,  1827. 
Augustus  was  sent  ahead,  and,  as  the  dogs  were  too 
weak  for  service,  two  Indians  were  engaged  as  porters. 
Back  was  left  behind,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  York 
Factory  as  soon  as  the  ice  broke,  and  thence  with  his 
countrymen  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  ship  to  England, 
sending  the  Canadians  to  Montreal,  and  Augustus  and 
Ooligbuck  to  Fort  Churchill. 

Three  hearty  cheers  from  his  friends  as  he  left  the 
Fort  renewed  Franklin's  "regret  at  leaving  a  society 
whose  members  had  endeared  themselves  to  him  by 
unremitting  attention  to  their  duties  and  the  greatest 
personal  kindness."  On  the  second  day  the  two 
Indians  deserted  with  their  load  of  pemmican,  so  men 
and  dogs  had  to  be  put  on  short  allowance.  On  the 
8th    of    March    they    reached    Fort    Simpson,    after 


Indian  Instinct, 


171 


travelling  220  miles.  The  Indian,  their  guide,  had 
never  been  there  before,  but  would  have  come  straight 
to  the  Fort  if  he  had  followed  his  own  instinct,  instead 
of  an  Indian  track  which  they  came  across  by  the 
way.  Once,  many  years  before  the  Fort  was  built,  he 
had  been  in  that  district,  and  had  noticed  a  mountain 
in  the  vicinity,  but  had  nothing  else  to  steer  by.  Such 
extraordinary  aptitude  for  storing  up  in  the  mind 
points  of  topography,  which  necessity  must  have  made 
a  second  nature,  may  perhaps  throw  some  light  on 
what  has  often  been  the  subject  of  controversy,  namely, 
how  pigeons  find  their  way  home  when  sent  back  at  a 
distance  from  it. 

On  the  21st,  Little  Lake  was  reached,  and  two  Cana- 
dians were  met,  with  a  packet  of  letters  for  Fort  Franklin. 
In  spite  of  the  piercing  cold,  Franklin  spent  the  night 
most  agreeably  in  scanning,  before  forwarding,  the 
contents.  On  the  26th  he  reached  Fort  Resolution, 
where  he  was  again  received  most  hospitably  by  Mr. 
Mc Vicar,  who  liad  so  kindly  attended  to  the  survivors 
of  his  first  expedition  after  their  sufferings.  Richardson 
had  left  this  place  in  December,  having  gone  to  join 
the  naturalist,  Drummond,  on  the  Saskatchawan.  After 
a  stay  of  eight  days,  Franklin  set  out  for  Fort  Chipewyan, 
which  he  reached  on  the  12th  of  April,  and  was  rejoiced 
to  find  that  many  changes  for  the  better  had  taken  place 
in  the  habits  of  the  Indians,  and  their  relations  with  the 
Company.    His  naturally  humane  disposition  had  been 


172 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


m' 


\    I 


specially  interested  in  these  poor  people  by  his  constant 
Contact  '.vith  them  during  the  greater  part  of  seven 
years.  The  Company  no  longer  imported  spirits  into 
this  department,  did  not  encourage  loitering  round  the 
Fort,  but  stimulated  activity  in  hunting  by  distribution 
of  clothes,  and  had  ordered  the  ground  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  their  establishment  to  be  cultivated 
wherever  it  was  practicable. 

Franklin  relates  some  curious  facts  about  the  Dog 
Rib  traditions  and  history.  The  first  man  was,  accord- 
ing to  them,  called  Chapewee.  He  created  children, 
and  gave  to  them  two  kinds  of  fruit,  the  black  and  the 
white,  of  which  they  were  only  to  eat  the  white. 
Then  he  went  away  to  bring  the  sun  to  the  world,  and 
while  he  was  gone  they  obeyed  him,  and  ate  only  the 
white.  But  when  he  went  to  fetch  the  moon,  they  had 
no  white  fruit  left,  and  ate  the  black.  For  this, 
Chapewee  told  them  the  earth  should  produce  only 
bad  fruits.  He  lived  so  long  that  his  throat  was 
worn  out,  and,  though  he  was  sick  of  life,  could  not 
die,  till  one  of  his  people  drove  a  beaver's  tooth  into  his 
liead.  This  same,  or  another  Chapewee,  lived  on  a 
strait  between  two  seas.  He  caught  so  many  fish  at  the 
weir  he  had  built,  that  the  strait  was  choked  up,  and 
the  earth  was  flooded.  He  took  all  his  family  with  him 
in  a  canoe,  with  all  manner  of  birds  and  beasts.  As  the 
waters  did  not  sink,  he  said,  "  We  cannot  always  live 
thus,"  and  he  sent  a  beaver  to  search  for  the  earth. 


Indian   Traditions, 


173 


The  beaver  was  drowned,  so  he  sent  a  musk  rat  next, 
which,  after  a  long  time,  brought  back  a  little  earth  in 
its  paws.  The  rat  he  warmed  in  his  bosom  till  it 
revived.  The  earth  he  moulded  with  his  fingers  and 
laid  on  the  water,  where  it  swelled  to  an  island.  He 
put  a  wolf  on  it  first,  but  its  weight  nearly  made  the 
isUmd  topple  over,  so  he  told  the  wolf  to  walk  round 
and  round  the  earth  for  a  year,  by  the  end  of  which 
time  the  land  supported  all  the  occupants  of  the  canoe. 
He  planted  a  fir-tree,  which  grew  up  to  the  skies,  whither 
Cliapewee  also  climbed  in  chasing  a  squirrel.  He 
came  on  a  large  plain,  in  which  he  set  a  snare  for 
the  squirrel,  made  of  his  sister's  hair.  At  noon  the  sun 
was  caught  in  the  snare,  and  darkness  came  over  the 
earth.  Chapewee's  family  complained  of  this,  and  said 
he  must  have  committed  some  sin  when  he  was  up  in 
the  sky.  He  confessed  that  he  had,  but  unintention- 
ally, and  sent  animal  after  animal  to  cut  the  snare, 
but  each  was  burnt  up  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  till  a 
mole,  by  burrowing  under  the  road  in  the  sky,  reached 
the  snare  and  released  the  sun.  It  lost  its  eyes,  how- 
ever, directly  it  looked  up,  and  its  nose  and  teeth  have 
ever  since  then  been  brown. 

Chapewee's  descendants  quarrelled,  and  a  dispersion 
of  mankind  took  place.  One  Indian  took  up  his  station 
at  a  lake,  having  with  him  a  bitch  big  with  young. 
When  the  pups  were  born,  he  tied  them  up  before 
he  went  out  fishing.     On  returning,  he  several  times 


^WJ^ 


??P»»SiW|»ffVilllJWl'il^.i;W»T''**.W^!'^ 


174 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


fit'}' 


Hi, 


heard  the  voices  of  children  in  his  hut,  but,  on  entering, 
only  lound  the  puppies.  He  determined  to  watch, 
and  one  day  concealed  himself  instead  of  going 
fishing.  The  moment  he  heard  the  voices,  he 
rushed  in,  and  found  children  playing,  with  the  puppy- 
skins  lying  by  them.  He  threw  the  skins  into  the 
fire,  and  those  children  were  the  ancestors  of  the  Dcg 
llibs. 

So  much  for  their  traditions,  which,  it  will  be  seen, 
bear  a  curious  analogy  to  those  of  other  nations. 
Lately  there  had  been  a  strange  belief  among  the 
Northern  tribes  tliat  a  great  ehange  was  about  to  take 
place  in  their  condition — a  belief  originating  with  a 
sort  of  Indian  Joan  of  Arc.  This  woman — the  wife  of 
one  of  the  North- West  Company's  Canadian  servants — 
resolved  to  become  a  warrior.  Procuring  a  gun,  a  bow 
and  arrows,  and  a  horse,  she  displayed  such  bravery 
that  many  young  men  followed  her,  and  she  became  the 
chief  leader  of  the  tribe,  and  was  styled  the  "  Manlike 
Woman."  Her  exploits  caused  her  to  be  credited 
with  supernatural  power,  and  she  spread  the  above- 
mentioned  prediction,  which,  as  often  happens  in  such 
cases,  had  a  tendency  to  fulfil  itself.  This  heroine, 
among  other  feats,  undertook  to  convey  a  packet  from 
one  to  another  of  the  Company's  posts,  through  a  tract 
of  country  not  traversed  by  the  traders,  and  infested 
by  hostile  tribes.  Though  wounded,  she  carried  the 
packet,  and  brought  back  the  answer.     Subsequently 


Good-bye  to  Augustus, 


175 


she  was  mortally  wounded  in  a  war-raid,  and  her  story 
fell  into  discredit. 

It  was  in  collecting  these  curious  details  of  savage 
life  that  Franklin  spent  part  of  the  seven  weeks  he 
stayed  at  Fort  Chipewyan.  Augustus,  in  order  to  see 
Dr.  Kichardson,  again  set  out  on  the  26th  of  May. 
Franklin  followed  on  the  31st,  and  caught  up  Richard- 
son at  Cumberland  House  on  the  18th  of  June,  after  a 
separation  of  eleven  months.  By  him  he  was  told 
of  the  zeal  shown  by  Druramond,  the  assistant 
naturalist  to  the  expedition,  who,  in  collecting 
specimens  of  natural  history  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, had  undergone  much  suffering,  but  had  amassed 
1,500  species  of  plants,  150  birds,  50  quadrupeds,  and 
a  number  of  insects. 

At  Norway  House  the  parting  from  Augustus  took 
place.  That  staunch  little  Esquimaux  shed  tears — a 
sign  of  emotion  very  unusual  in  those  of  his  race — and 
the  grief  and  affection  he  showed  were  fully  recipro- 
cated by  the  officers.  He  begged  to  be  informed  if 
another  expedition  should  be  sent  out,  promising  for 
himself  and  Ooligbuck  to  quit,  at  any  time,  family  and 
home  in  order  to  follow  any  of  their  present  leaders 
wherever  they  might  be  going.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  undertook  to  disburse  annually  to  them  the 
Government  pay  for  their  services.  Poor  Augustus, 
however,  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  it.  His  fate  was  a 
melancholy  one.     When   Back   was  himself  in   great 


176 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


'%  •  ii 


^nlm 


straits,  it  added  much  to  liis  grief  to  hear  that  his  old  and 
faitliful  friend,  who  had  been  oa  liis  way  to  join  him  in 
his  exploration  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  had  perislied 
by  starvation.  That  was  in  1834.  Faithful  unto  death, 
he  was  true  to  the  promise  he  had  made  seven  years 
before. 

Richardson  and  Franklin  reached  Liverpool  on  the 
Ist  of  September,  1827,  having  come  by  Lake 
CMiarAiplain  and  New  York,  where  they  were  shown  the 
utmost  kindness,  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and 
seven  and  a-half  months.  Back,  Kendall,  Drummond, 
and  the  rest,  with  two  exceptions,  arrived  at  Portsmouth 
on  the  10th  of  October.  Those  two  exceptions  were 
Stewart,  who  had  died  of  consumption,  and  Aird,  who 
was  drowned  in  the  Slave  River,  while  he  was  striving 
to  save  the  boat  when  it  was  being  carried  down  a  fall. 
It  was  a  sad  termination  to  this  otherwise  fortunate 
expedition,  and  to  the  lives  of  two  good  men  and  true, 
who  were  mourned  alike  by  officers  and  men.  All  the 
survivors  who  had  been  in  the  King's  service  received 
promotion. 

The  result  of  this  second  expedition  was  that  it  had 
left  only  fifty  leagues  of  coast  unsurveyed,  from  Point 
Turnagain  to  Icy  Cape.  In  1837,  Messrs.  Dease  and 
Simpson  completed  the  survey  from  Icy  Cape  to  Return 
Reef.  In  1834,  Back  discovered  the  source  of,  and  de- 
scended, the  Great  Fish  River,  now  called  by  his  name, 
but  failed  to  reach  Point  Turnagain  from  its  mouth 


Completion  of  Coast  Survey, 


177 


la  1838,  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson  went  beyond  the 
Coppermine  River,  but  failed  to  reach  Back's  River. 
Next  year,  however,  by  marvellous  perseverance,  they 
not  only  reached  Back's  River,  but  sailed  round  the 
peninsula  of  Adelaide,  and  sighted  a  part  of  Boothia. 
Lastly,  in  1845-47,  Dr.  Rae  explored  the  peninsula  of 
Boothia.  And  so  the  whole  coast  was  mapped  out  in  a 
little  less  than  eighty  years  by  the  gradual  discoveries 
of  these  hardy  travellers,  of  whom  Franklin  was  the 
chief  pioneer. 


M 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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■T^-'--'      , 


CHAPTER    XII. 


FRANKLIN    IN    TASMANIA. 

Honours  conferred  on  Franklin — His  Second  Marriage — Appointed 
Governor  of  Tasmania — His  Letter  thence — His  and  his  Wife's 
Beneficence — Return  Home. 

FRANKLIN  had  now  added  to  the  maps  of  North 
America  a  coast-line  of  more  than  1,200  miles, 
and  he  was  rewarded  with  honours  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  He  was  knighted  in  1829.  The  University  of 
Oxford  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  D.C.L.  The 
Geographical  Society  of  Paris  awarded  him  its  gold 
medal,  as  having  made  the  most  important  geographical 
discovery  of  the  year,  and  elected  him  Foreign  Corres- 
pondent. Later,  in  1846,  he  was  elected  Correspondent 
of  the  Institute  of  France  in  the  Academy  of  Sciences. 
But  the  pecuniary  reward  of  £5,000,  which  had  been 
offered  for  the  successful  navigation  of  that  part  of  the 
sea  which  had  been  traversed  by  his  men,  was  withheld, 
on  the  plea,  as  we  have  seen,  that  it  had  been  performed 
in  boats  and  not  in  a  ship.  Surely  a  shabbier  evasion 
was  never  used  to  effect  a  more  pitiful  piece  of  economy. 
In  1828,  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty  carried  a  bill 


«PI 


;y 


Franklin  s  Marriage, 


179 


11 


abolishing  the  reward  offered,  on  the  ground  that  the 
object  had  been  achieved. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  1828,  Franklin  married,  n a 
his  second  wife,  Jane  Griffen,  daughter  of  a  man  of 
fortune,  and  on  her  mother's  side  descended  from  one  of. 
the  Huguenot  families  which  had  fled  to  England  at  the . 
revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.     Never  was  man- 
more  fortunate  in  his  marriages  than  he.     His  first 
wife  devoted  her  dying  hours  to  his  fame ;   his  second 
wife  consecrated  her  whole  life  to  his  memory. 

In  1832  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
frigate  Rainhow,  on  the  Mediterranean  station.  The 
comfort  which  her  officers  and  crew  enjoyed  soon, 
became  proverbial  in  tho  squadron,  and  the  sailors,  with . 
their  usual  knack  at  playing  on  words,  christened  her 
the  Celestial  Rainhow,  and  the  Paradise  of  Franklin. 
In  acknowledgment  of  his  services  in  the  war  of 
Liberation,  especially  off  Patras,  King  Otho  gave  him 
the  Cross  of  the  Redeemer,  and  on  bis  return  to  England 
in  1834  he  was  made  Knight  Commander  of  the 
Guelphic  Order  of  Hanover.  When  he  set  out  for  the 
Mediterranean  Ids  wife  followed  him.  But  as,  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  of  the  service,  she  could  not  remain  on 
board  a  ship  commanded  by  her  husband,  she  travelled 
with  some  friends  in  Syria,  Palestine,  and  Egypt,  only 
rejoining  Sir  John  in  places  where  he  was  stationed  for 
some  time.  She  had  been  familiarised  with  travelling . 
before  her  marriage,  having  visited  the  various  countries 


;Jf*. 


•■%■ 


■>•.: 


/'/ 


180 


Sir  John  Fran/din, 


V 


f)f  Europe  in  company  with  her  father,  who  was  a  great 
connoisseur. 

The  governorship  of  Antigua  was  offered  to  Franklin 
in  1836  by  Lord  Glenelg.  This  he  refused;  but  he 
accepted  the  same  position  in  the  more  important 
colony  of  Van  Dienien's  Land,  or  Tasmania,  on  condition 
that,  if  war  broke  out,  he  might  resign  it  if  he  were 
offered  the  command  of  a  ship.  So  much  more  did  he 
vahie  the  chance  of  distinction  in  his  profession,  than 
the  increased  income  to  be  obtained  in  the  Civil  Service. 
But  either  in  war  or  peace,  among  civilised  men  or 
savages,  his  energetic  practical  mind  was  sure  not  to 
be  idle.  The  same  humane  sagacity  with  which  he 
had  sought  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians 
of  North  America  was  apparent  in  his  new  office. 
Quarter-deck  despotism  might  seem  a  bad  preparative 
for  a  civil  magistrate's  duties;  but  what  had  won  for 
Franklin  the  affection  of  Back  and  Richardson  and 
others,  was  his  habitual  consideration  for  his  subordi- 
nates. During  the  seven  years  of  his  stay,  Franklin 
gained  the  esteem  and  attachment  of  the  colonists  hy 
his  unaffected  cordiality  and  conciliatory  spirit,  as  much 
as  by  hii  justice,  his  strict  impartiality,  and  his 
enlightened  devotion  to  their  interests;  thus  fully 
justifying  the  anticipa*:ions  of  Dr.  Arnold,  who  looked 
on  his  appointment  as  inaugurating  a  new  era  in 
Colonial  administration,  and  said  how  delighted  he 
himself  should  have  been  if  circumstances  had  called 


■ 


Work  in  Tasmania, 


181 


him  to  co-operate  with  such  a  man  in  organising  an 
educational  system  for  the  young  country.  Ouo  of  hia 
most  popular  measures,  which  was  soon  imitated' in  the 
older  colony  of  New  South  Wales,  was  to  throw  open 
to  the  public  the  Legislative  Council,  which,  with  the 
Executive  Council,  assisted  the  Lieutenant-General  in 
his  duties.  Equally  popular  was  his  support  of  a 
petition  sent  by  the  Tasmanians  to  the  mother  coifntry, 
in  which  they  asked  for  a  representative  Government. 

He  came  to  the  colony  at  a  critical  time,  and  at  once 
found  his  hands  full  of  work  which  to  many  men 
would  have  been  distasteful  in  the  extreme.  The  year 
of  his  arrival  saw  the  beginning  of  an .  emigration 
from  Van  Diemen's  Land  to  the  adjacent  coast  of  the 
Australian  Continent,  which  rapidly  developed  into  the 
nucleus  of  the  magnificent  colony  of  Victoria.  He 
found  in  Van  Diemen's  Land  a  community  in  which 
the  convict  element  largely  preponderated,  under 
a  system  which,  though  suited  to  the  earlier  life  of 
the  colony,  proved  disadvantageous  to  bond  and  free 
when  its  numbers  had  increased.  He  gradually  intro- 
duced modifications,  but  within  the  last  year  of  his 
government  tiie  system  was  entirely  re-modelled,  partly 
in  accordance  with  his  own  carefully  considered  sugges- 
tions, partly  by  orders  from  home,  to  meet  the  heavy 
strain  imposed  upon  the  colony  by  making  it  the  sole 
receptacle  for  the  felons  of  the  United  Kingdom.  To 
Franklin's  large  and  uoble  nature  it  was  a  labour  of 


m: 


■pm 


[J  V 


//■ 


n 


182 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


love  to  give  these  outcasts  a  chance  of  again  becoming 
good  citizens,  and  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  obligation 
to  unite  the  moral  discipline  of  the  convict  with  the 
unflinching  coercion  imposed  by  law.  He  used  his 
position,  in  short,  as  one 

"Who,  doomed  to  go  in  company  with  Pain, 
'  And  Fear,  and  Bloodshed,  miserab  e  train  1       ' 

♦*  Turns  his  necessity  to  glorious  gain  ; 

In  face  of  these  doth  exercise  a  pov  er 
Which  is  our  human  nature's  highest  dower; 
Controls  them,  and  subdues,  transmutes,  bereaves 
Of  their  bad  influence,  and  their  gcod  receives." 

In  all  his  efforts  on  behalf  of  '^ne  female  prisoner 
population  he  was  zealously  assisted  by  his  wife,  vhose 
correspondence  with  Mrs.  Fry  was  placed  before  the 
Colonial  Minister,  and  is  quoted  in  despatches  from  the 
Colonial  Office. 

:•;  With  equal  solicitude  she  aided  his  efforts  in  behalf 
bf  the  non-criminal  portion  of  the  community,  to  whom 
the  new  influx  of  convicts  must  have  been  a  serious 
grievance.  She  employed  a  portion  of  her  property  in 
buying  land  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  River  Huon, 
which  rolls  its  waters  into  Entrecasteaux  Channel.  On 
this  land  she  placed  tenants  at  a  nominal  rent,  with 
the  power  of  purchase,  her  object  being  to  encourage 
and  reward  the  industrious  emigrant ;  and  to  this  small 
settlement  one  of  the  most  flourishing  districts  of 
Tasmania  owes  its  origin.    To  these  beneficent  measures 


His  Aciivity, 


183 


it  was  probably  owing  that  during  Franklin's  tenure  of 
office  there  was  no  organised  opposition  to  the  new 
transportation  law.  In  acknowledgment  of  the  zeal 
with  which  he  faced  the  increased  labour  which  these 
circumstances  entailed,  the  Colonial  Legislature  offered 
to  increase  his  salary  to  £4,000.  He  thought  it  right 
to  decline  this  for  himself,  but  for.  his  successors  he 
represented  to  the  British  Government  that,  in  con- 
sideration of  the  expense  entailed  by  this  office,  the  pay 
was  insufficient.  Since  then,  the  salary  has  been  raised 
to  £4,000,  and  other  advantages  are  attached  to  the 
post.  The  following  letter  vividly  describes  the 
activity  and  anxieties  of  this  period  of  his  life  : — 


Govt.  House,  Hobart  Town, 
mnd  June,  1837. 
My  Dear  Sir,  ' 

If  I  had  not  been  overpressed  with  business  your 
kind  letter  should  not  have  remained  so  long  unanswered, 
and  now  the  opportunity  of  writing  has  come  upon  me  so 
unexpectedly,  that  I  have  no  time  to  arrange  my  ideas 
sufficiently  to  write  you  a  connected  letter.  There  are,  how- 
ever, but  few  subjects  of  daily  occurrence  at  this  plac3  wiiich 
could  interest  a  person  at  a  distance,  though  they  are  of 
dl-engrossing  importance  to  the  parties  on  the  spot.  The 
questions  of  titles  to  estates  being  good  or  not,  the  settling 
of  disputed  boundaries  of  land,  the  making  of  roads  and 
bridges  in  the  retired  disticts,  and  the  endeavouring  to 
adjust  the  conflicting  struggles  of  the  parties  as  to  the  line 
of  these  roads,  are  matters  of  daily  occurrence ;  and  when  to 


pr;j.Y"> 


184 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


'/' 


this  is  added  the  general  supervision  over  convicts  and 
prison  discipline,  and  that  every  trial,  whether  in  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Quarters  Sessions  or  before  the  Police 
Magistrates,  must  be  referred  to  me  before  the  sentence  is 
carried  into  execution,  you  will  conceive  I  have  enough  to 
do.  These  duties  are  all  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  matters 
of  the  Government.  One  train  of  ideas  is  so  quickly  dis- 
placed by  another  that  I  oft^n  wonder  that  confusion  is  not 
the  result,  yet  everything  goes  on  smoothly  as  yet. 

•  •  '  .  •  •  •  • 
The  system  established  by  my  predecessor,  though  not 

entirely  unexceptionable,  is  yet  so  good  that  there  is  a  far 
greater  security  of  life  and  property  here,  and  more  external 
decorum  in  the  streets,  than  in  any  other  large  town  i!i  England. 
At  first  landing,  everybody  feels  a  kind  of  involuntary  shudder 
cross  him  at  the  idea  that  he  is  surrounded  by  so  many 
person?'  T7ho  have  forfeited  their  liberty  on  account  of  crime, 
but  tl  aS  gradually  wears  away,  and  you  learn  to  look  on  that 
class  of  men 'in  the  light  of  ordinary  labourers,  except  they 
be  in  gangs  under  punishment,  and  clothed  in  yellow  or  a 
marked  dress.  After  a  certain  period,  if  their  conduct  has 
been  good,  they  receive  a  ticket-of-leave,  which  enables  them 
to  work  for  themselves  and  acquire  property,  but  they  have 
to  reside  in  a  certain  district,  and  conform  to  certain  regu- 
lations, such  as  being  within  doors  after  a  given  hour,  to 
attend  weekly  muster  and  the  church  on  a  Sunday,  if  there 
be  one  near.  I  have  been  fancying  your  brother  may  be 
sent  here  in  the  Rose.  We  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  him, 
and  offer  him  a  bed,  if  he  prefers  putting  up  on  shore  during 
his  stay.     The  ships,  however,  lie  close  to  the  wharf. 

•  '.  .  .  .  •  .  • 

I  hope  you  will  kindly  write  to  me,  and  let  me  know  any 


Dr,  Arnold's  Help, 


185 


news  you  can  pick  up.     Lady  Franklin  begs  me  to  give  her 

kind  regards  to  you  and  your  father. 

Ever,  my  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

John  Franklin. 
John  Barrow,  Esq.,  Admiralty. 

While  mainly  occupied  by  such  duties,  Franklin  did 
not  neglect  the  interests  of  science.  Among  the  useful 
institutions  which  owed  their  origin  to  him  may  be 
mentioned  a  college,  endowed  partly  out  of  his  own 
purse,  to  which  were  admitted  all  youths  who  had 
passed  a  certain  examination,  without  reference  to 
what  religious  sect  they  belonged.  At  his  request 
Dr.  Arnold  undertook  the  responsibility  of  selecting 
the  first  head  of  this  institution.  His  choice  fell  upon 
a  favourite  pupil,  the  Kev.  J.  P.  Gell,  who  afterwards 
fcacame  Franklin's  son-in-law.  But  the  liberal  spirit 
of  the  founder  found  little  favour  in  the  eyes  of  various 
religious  bodies,  and  when  he  had  left  the  colony  the 
college  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Church  of 
England,  though  free  admission  was  accorded  to 
members  of  othei'  persuasions. 

Towards  the  end  of  1838,  a  scientific  society,  called 
the  Tasmanian  Society,  was  founded  by  Franklin  at 
Hobart  Town,  the  object  of  which  was  to  treat  of  every- 
thing appertaining  to  the  natural  history,  agriculture, 
and  statistics  of  the  colony.  The  meetings  were  held 
at  Government  House,  and  it  was  at  his  expense  that 
the  papers  contributed  by  its  members  were  published 


18G 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


\\ 


at  the  Governmont  Printing  Press.  Four  years  later, 
oil  the  16th  of  March,  18-42,  the  first  stone  of  an 
edifice  destined  to  contain  collections  of  natural 
history  was  laid  by  him,  and  under  it  a  parchment 
with  a  commemorative  inscription  in  English,  French, 
German,  Italian,  Greek,  and  Latin.  This  building, 
which  was  completed  at  his  expense,  was  called  the 
Tasmanian  Museum.  Wishing  to  pay  homage  to  the 
memory  of  Captain  Flinders,  under  whom  he  had 
served,  for  his  discovery  of  a  part  of  New  Holland,  he, 
in  1839,  at  his  own  cost,  raised  to  the  memory  of  that 
seaman  a  beautiful  granite  obelisk  in  South  Australia, 
with  the  co-operation  of  the  Government  there. 
Placed  oa  the  top  of  a  hill  a  thousand  or  fifteen 
hundred  feet  high,  this  obelisk  serves  as  a  landmark  for 
sailors.  In  1840,  a  magnetic  observatory,  founded  at 
Hobart  Town  in  connection  with  the  principal  estab- 
lishment which  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sabine  superin- 
tended at  Woolwich,  became  the  object  of  his  constant 
care. 

Lady  Franklin,  who  had  accompanied  her  husband 
to  Tasmania,  actively  seconded  him  in  all  his  beneficent 
projects,  and  contributed  to  the  popularity  of  his  name, 
sharing  all  his  interests,  and  identifying  herself  with 
his  labours.  They  had,  in  fact,  only  one  common 
thought,  how  they  could  co-operate  in  every  possible 
way  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  their  fellow-colonists. 
In  Tasmania  there  were  three  kinds  of  snakes  whose 


Lady  Franklifts  Beneficence,  187 


bite  was  fatal.  In  order  to  diminish  their  number,  Lady 
Franklin  put  a  price  of  a  shilling  a  head  on  them, 
which  she  defrayed  out  ^f  her  own  purse.  So  many 
were  brought  in  in  a  lew  months,  that  she  found  that 
the  expense  would  reach  several  hundred  pounds 
a-year.  She  was  therefore  obliged  to  reduce  the  head- 
money,  first  to  sixpence  and  then  to  threepence. 
Finally,  she  was  forced — not  without  regret — to  abandon 
the  project,  being  informed  by  the  Colonial  magistrates 
that  it  made  numbers  of  the  employed  quit  their  work 
in  order  to  gain  the  head-money  and  spend  their  time 
in  hunting  the  serpents. 

Lady  Franklin  also,  as  mentioned  already,  bought  large 
consignments  of  land,  in  which  she  established  settlers, 
paying  all  their  first  expenses,  and  supplying  them  with 
implements  for  work,  on  such  terms  that,  at  the  end  of 
three  years,  some  of  them  had  repaid  her  all  their  debt, 
and  blessed  the  name  of  their  benefactress  for  the 
comfort  they  had  attained.  In  1850  she  went  to 
spend  some  time  in  Shetland,  and  occupied  herself  in 
recruiting  emigrants  for  Van  Diemen's  Land,  where 
most  of  them — who  at  home  were  almost  starving — had 
the  chance  of  becoming  in  a  short  time,  if  they  were 
only  indu3triou8  and  respectable,  well-to-do  farmers. 

Tasmania  was  the  place  where  most  of  the  expedi- 
tious of  discovery  in  the  Antarctic  regions  refitted. 
This  gave  Franklin  the  welcome  opportunity  of  receiv- 
ing some  of  the  most  distinguished  sailors  of  France 


.  »^ 


188 


Sir  John  Franklin 


and  England.  Among  the  most  celebrated  of  them 
were  Diuuont  d'Urville,  doomed  to  so  melancholy  a 
death ;  Jacqninot,  his  second  in  command ;  Sir  Janies 
Clark  Ross,  then  commanding  the  Antarctic  expedition 
of  the  Erchus  and  Terror,  which  afterwards  became 
names  of  sorrowful  import  throughout  the  whole 
civilised  world;  and  the  captains  of  the  surveying  ships 
in  thosa  seas — Wickham,  Harding,  Owe',  Stanley, 
Stokes,  and  Blackwood.  To  each  and  all  he  gave  a 
generous  welcome,  and  to  a  man  of  his  tastes  and 
experiences  no  society  could  have  been  more  pleasant.    1 

But  the  first  and  only  cloud  which  seems  to  have 
marred  the  serenity  of  a  public  life  singularly  happy 
and  useful  was  now  at  hand.  It  could  not  be  expected 
that  a  colony  could  be  ruled  without  there  being 
some  opposition  to  the  ruler.  Disinterestedness  and 
unflinching  integrity  secure  respect,  but  not  always 
acquiescence,  and  Franklin  had  his  share  of  difficulty. 
Local  interests,  which  had  bound  individuals  together, 
seemed  to  him  in  some  instances  to  interfere  with  the 
public  good,  and  he  considered  that  changes  were 
requisite,  even  in  the  higher  departments  of  the 
Government  service.  Having  arrived  at  this  con- 
clusion, he  was  not  the  man  to  shrink  from  the 
responsibility  of  carrying  it  out.  Till  then  he  had* 
by  prudence  and  conciliation,  steered  his  way  success- 
fully through  accumulating  embarrassments.  But, 
though  gentle,  he  was  firm,  and  not  to  be  made  the 


V 


Franklin  leaves   Tasmania, 


181) 


cat's-paw  of  any  indiviilual  or  Government,  and  the 
time  had  come  when  ho  found  it  necessary  resolutely 
to  take  liis  stand  with  reference  to  matters  on  which 
he  and  the  Colonial  Secretary  were  at  variance.  Were 
it  not  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  revive 
forgotten  heart-burnings,  it  might  be  shown  how  little 
it  was  to  the  credit  of  those  concerned  that  Franklin 
left  the  colony  under  the  ban  of  official  disapproval. 
And  if  his  reputation  needed  vindication,  the  facts 
should,  in  any  case,  be  related  in  full.  But  even  at 
the  time  it  never  suffered.  Those  who  knew  best  what 
had  been  going  on,  and  for  whom  he  had  worked 
so  long,  so  wisely,  and  so  well,  expressed  their 
appreciation  of  the  state  of  the  case  with  an  emphasis 
which  makes  further  allusion  to  it  superfluous.  Before 
he  left  the  colony,  addresses  poured  in  to  him  from 
every  district;  and  when  he  left  it,  the  largest  crowd 
ever,  till  then,  seen  on  those  shores  "accompanied  him 
to  the  ship."  At  the  head  of  it  walked  the  new  Bishop 
of  Tasmania  and  the  new  Colonial  Secretary,  and  it 
contained  a  large  majority  of  the  people  of  Hohart 
Town,  and  representatives  from  the  farthest  parts  of 
the  island.  Franklin  walked  to  the  pier  amid  their 
acclamations  and  blessings.  Nine  years  afterwards, 
when  Lady  Franklin  was  appealing  for  funds  to  pro- 
secute the  search  for  her  lost  husband,  the  Tasmaniane 
showed  that  time  had  not  weakened  their  sense  of  his 
worth  by  sending  her,  as  their  contribution,  £1,700. 


'V.v,'' 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

franklin's  last  expedition. 

Anecdotes  of  Parry,  Franklin,  and  Brougham — Instructions  for 
another  Polar  Expedition — The  Erebus  and  Terror — Fitzjames — 
Last  sight  of  the  two  Ships — Rewards  offered  for  their  Relief  by 
Government — Their  Track  in  1845 — Cornwallis  Island  circum- 
navigated— Winter  at  Beechey  Island — Deaths  of  Braine,  Hartnell, 
and  Torrington — Failure  of  Pemmican — Departure  from  Beechey 
Island  in  1846 — Victoria  Strait  entered — Winter  in  the  Pack — Gore's 
Visit  to  King  William's  Island  in  1847— Death  of  Franklin— Slow 
Drift  down  Victoria  Strait— Second  Winter  in  the  Pack — The  Ships 
abandoned — Rae's  news  of  the  Fate  of  the  Expedition — M'Clintock's 
Discovery  of  the  ..'  icord  at  Point  Victory — Esquimaux  Accounts — 
Conjectures  as  to  what  had  happened — Geographical  results  of  the 
Franklin  era — Franklin's  Charact'^r. 

FEANKLIN  embarked  on  his  voyage  home  from 
the  young  city  of  Melbourne,  and  thus  secured  the 
opportunity  for  revisiting  places  on  the  shores  of  the  vast 
bay  of  Port  Philip,  on  which,  as  a  midshipman,  he  had 
landed  with  riin.ders.  He  had  been  only  a  few  months 
at  home  when  Sir  John  Barrow  sent  to  the  Admiralty 
proposals  for  a  new  expedition  to  effect  the  discovery 
of  the  North- West  Passage.  His  scheme  was  adopted, 
and,  to  Franklin's  intense  satisfaction,  the  command 
was  offered  to  him.     Lo»d  Haddington  (then  First  Lord 


Some  Anecdotes, 


191 


of  the  Admiralty),  conversing,  a  few  days  before  the 
offer  was  made,  with  Sir  Edward  Parry,  whom  he  had 
called  into  consultation,  said  to  him,  as  he  cast  a  glance 
down  the  Navy  List,  "  I  see  Franklin  is  sixty  years  old. 
Ought  we  to  let  him  go  ?"  "  My  lord,"  answered  Parry, 
"  he  is  the  best  man  for  the  post  I  know,  and  if  you 
don't  let  him  go,  he  will,  I  am  certain,  die  of  disappoint- 
ment." Afterwards,  at  an  interview  with  Franklin 
himself,  the  First  Lord  made  some  similar  speech, 
and  added,  "  You  might  be  content  with  your  laurels, 
after  having  done  so  much  for  your  country."  With 
the  vivacity  of  sixteen  rather  than  sixty,  Franklin 
responded,  "  My  lord,  I  am  only  fifty-nine !"  Lord 
Brougham  made  as  accurate  a  diagnosis  of  his  spirit  as 
Parry.  Meeting  Sir  John  Herschel  in  the  street,  in 
the  spring  of  1845,  he  asked  if  it  was  true  that 
Franklin  was  going  in  command  of  the  expedition,  and, 
on  Herschel  saying  it  was  perfectly  true,  remarked, 
"Arctic  work  gets  into  the  blood  of  these  men. 
They  carCt  help  going  again  if  they  get  a  chance." 

In  the  instructions  given  to  Franklin  by  the  Ad- 
miralty, he  was  told  that,  though  the  main  object 
of  the  expedition  was  to  be  the  discovery  of  a  passage 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  he  was  to 
neglect  no  opportunity  of  making  scientific  obser- 
vations, and  collecting  information  on  geography  and 
terrestrial  magnetism.  The  expedition  was  to  consist 
of  two  vessels — the  Erehis  and  the  Terror — which  were 


SSm 


: 


'K- 


192 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


to  be  accompanied  as  far  as  Baffin's  Bay  by  a  transport 
ship — the  Barreto  Junior — "'hich  was  to  carry  out 
supplies  of  clothes,  provisions,  and  coal,  so  far.    Frank- 

..//  lin  was  told  to  make  for  Davis*  Straits  and  Baffin's  Bav, 
then  to  deflect  westward,  through  Lancaster  and  Bar- 
row Straits,  to  Cape  Walker,  a  point  on  Russel  Island. 
He  would  then  be  in  about  latitude  74J°  N".,  and  longi- 
tude 98**  W. ;  and,  instead   of  attempting  to   find  a 

'  passage  along  the  south  of  Melville  Island,  as  Parry 

had  done,  he  was  to  strike  southward  and  westward 
in  a  course  as  direct  for  Bering's  Straits  as  the 
position  of  the  ice  and  land  as  yet  unknown  should 
allow.  If  he  found  all  progress  in  this  direction 
impossible,  he  was  to  sail  northwards,  and  attempt 
to  pass  between  '^Torth  Devon  and  Cornwallis  Islands. 

Such  were  his  general  instructions.  In  carrying  them 
out,  much  was  left  to  his  discretion.  The  Erehus  and 
Terror  had  already  been  in  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic 
Seas  for  seven  winters,  and  were  considered  especially 
adapted  for  the  service.  The  crew  of  the  Erebus  con- 
sisted of  seventy  men,  including  the  captain  and 
officers,  and  that  of  the  Terror  of  sixty-eight  men. 
The  latter  was  commanded  by  Captain  Crozier,  who 
had  served  under  Parry  and  Eoss.  Second  in  command 
to  Franklin  himself  on  the  Ereuas  was  Fitzjames, 
specially  charged  with  the  supervision  of  the  magnetic 
researches  that  were  contemplated.  Well  officered, 
well  manned,  and  well  victualled,  the  expedition  sailed 


■'./ 


"■,  <:'*■'■'•'.'-■"■:: 


A  Prosperous  Start, 


193 


from  Greenhithe  on  the  19th  of  May,  1845,  and  reached 
Whale  Fiah  Islands,  near  Disco,  in  Greenland,  on  the 
4th  of  July.  From  this  place  the  Barreto  Junior, 
having  unloaded  its  stores,  returned  to  England  with 
the  last  despatch  which  the  Admiralty  ever  received 
from  Franklin.  He  was  in  high  spirits  and  full  of 
liope.  "  The  ships,"  he  wrot?  on  the  12Lh  of  July, 
"  are  now  complete  with  supplies  of  every  kind  for 
three  years;  they  are  therefore  very  deep,  but  happily 
we  have  no  reason  to  expect  much  sea  as  we  proceed 
further." 

His  enthusiasm  was  shared  to  the  full  by  his  officers 
and  men.  Fitzjames  wrote  to  Sir  John  Barrow's  son 
that  Franklin  was  a  delightful  captain  to  serve  under, 
full  of  energy,  activity,  and  sound  judgment,  and  with 
a  wonderful  memory.  There  seemed  to  be  no  falling 
off-  in  his  old  powers.  His  conversation  was  as 
attractive  as  it  was  instructive,  and  enlivened  by 
interesting  stories  of  his  previous  voyages.  By  his 
extreme  thoughtfulness  and  kindness  he  had  won  the 
affections  of  all  under  his  command,  and  impressed  Fitz- 
james with  the  conviction  that,  for  an  expedition  where 
good  sense"  and  perseverance  were  the  chief  requisities, 
no  better  commander  could  have  been  found  anywhere 
than  his  captain,  with  whom  he  had  already  learnt 
much,  and  under  whom  he  was  delighted  to  serve. 
Another  of  the  officers,  Lieutenant  Fairholme,  wrote 
home  by  the  same  ship  in  a  similar  strain,  saying  he 

N 


V\ 


lU 


Sir  John  Franklin* 


w 


I 


sbould  not  know  how  to  tell  his  friend  how  much 
everyone  liked  the  captain,  who  had  gained  not  only 
the  respect  but  the  attachment  of  all  on  board.  It 
was  the  old  story  over  again.  As  Franklin  had  by  his 
gentle  demeanour  so  impressed  the  natives  of  North 
America  that  he  was  long  remembered  by  them  as 
"the  Great  Chief  who  would  not  kill  a  mosquito," 
so  even  in  this  short  space  of  time  he  had  managed 
to  endear  himself  to  all  his  associates.  "  Sir  John," 
Lieutenant  Fairholme  went  on,  "is  in  much  better 
health  than  when  we  left  home,  and  really  looks  ten 
years  younger.  He  takes  an  active  part  in  everything 
that  goes  on,  and  his  long  experience  in  such  services 
makes  him  a  most  valuable  adviser." 

Such  were  the  sentiments  of  mutual  goodwill  with 
which  the  last  letters  from  the  doomed  crews  which 
ever  reached  England  were  filled,  On  the  26th  of 
July,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  a  whaling  vessel,  saw  the 
Erelms  and  Terror  awaiting  in  Melville  Bay  a  favour- 
able opportunity  for  crossing  the  "middle  ice,"  and 
the  captain  was  invited  to  dine  with  Franklin.  But  a 
breeze  springing  up,  the  ships  parted  company,  and 
from  that  day  to  this  were  never  more  seen  by  civilised 
men.  It  was  as  if  some  great  fog  had  lifted  for  a 
moment,  only  to  envelope  ships  and  crews  again  and 
for  ever  in  its  dumb,  dark  folds.  Two  years  passed  by, 
and  nothing  was  heard  of  i.he  expedition.  But  little  or 
no  anxiety  was  felt  as  to  its  fate.    Sir  John  Eoss  did 


'•: 


The  P'irst  Alarm. 


195 


indeed  write  to  the  Admiralty  a  year  and  a-half  later, 
suggesting  that  the  ships  were  frozen  up  at  the  western 
end  of  Melville  Island,  but  there  were  no  grounds  for 
such  a  supposition,  and  the  strongest  probabilities 
against  it,  and  neither  Sir  John  Ross  nor  Franklin's 
old  friend  Richardson  entertained  any  apprehension. 
But  when  two  years  had  come  and  gone,  and  the  last 
month  of  1847  slipped  away,  and  still  there  were  no 
tidings,  another  feeling  spread  fast — 

"  0,  the  silence  that  came  next,  the  patience  and  long 
aching  !" 

For  twelve  consecutive  years,  expedition  after 
expedition  was  sent  out,  at  first  with  the  object  of 
ascertaining  the  fate  of  the  two  vessels,  and  afterwards 
in  the  forlorn  hope  of  finding  some  solitary  survivor  of 
the  catastrophe  which  by  that  time  was  known  to 
have  taken  place.  In  1849,  the  British  Government 
offered  a  reward  of  £20,000  to  any  one  of  any  nation 
who  should  rescue  the  crew  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror ; 
of  £10,000  to  any  one  who  should  rescue,  or  be 
instrumental  in  rescuing  a  portion  of  them;  and  of 
£10,000  to  the  first  person  who  should  succeed  in 
ascertaining  their  fate.  Over  £800,000  are  said  to 
have  been  spent  in  equipping  the  various  vessels  sent 
on  the  search,  an  expenditure  to  which  Lady  Franklin 
and  Mr.  Grinnell,  of  New^  York,  contributed  largely  out 
of  their  own  purses.    No  less  than  forty  expeditions^  by 


196 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


^ 


:^'1 


land  or  sea,  were  made  between  1847  and  1859. 
During  this  long  search,  many  thousands  of  miles 
of  previously  unexplored  coasts  were  added  to  our 
maps,  many  more  thousands  prevjVusly  known  were 
carefully  re-examined,  the  delineation  of  the  coast- 
line of  the  American  Continent  was  completed,  and,  for 
the  first  time,  men  who  had  sailed  to  its  northern 
shores  through  Bering's  Straits  returned  by  Baffin's 
Bay.  Briefly  stated,  these  vrere  the  main  material 
result"  of  the  search  for  Franklin.  Its  other  results  no 
one  can  estimate.  Human  heroism  always,  perhaps, 
effects  more  in  the  future  than  in  the  present ;  and  if 
we  could  trace  the  fruits  of  such  examples  of  individual 
courage  and  endurance  as  were  then  set,  to  be  conned 
over  and  assimilated  by  generation  after  generation  of 
English  boys  and  men,  the  sum  spent  in  the  search 
would,  apart  from  all  other  considerations,  be  found, 
perhaps,  to  be  as  profitable  an  investment  of  a  million 
as  a  nation  ever  made.  But  before  anything  more  is 
said  about  these  expeditions,  the  sad  story  of  the 
Erebxis  and  Terror  remains  to  be  told. 

After  parting  company  with  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
the  two  ships  made  their  way  through  the  ice  to 
Lancaster  Sound.  Passing  Cape  Warrender,  they 
sailed  on  till  they  came  to  Beechey  Island,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  unknown  waters  of  Wellington 
Channel.  According  to  his  instructions,  Franklin 
tried,  no  doubt,  to  reach  Cape  Walker,  and  thence  to 


•X'A 


The  Voyage, 


107 


luake  his  way  south-westwards  to  the  coast  of  Nortti 
America.  But  he  must  have  found  the  sea  blocked 
up  by  ice,  and,  seeing  a  passage  possible  in  Wellington 
Channel,  he  chose  that  course,  and,  ascending  to  the 
seventy-seventh  parallel,  returned  by  the  west  side  of 
the  land,  till  then  known  as  Cornwallis  Land,  which  he 
thus  ascertained  to  be  an  island.  How  many  attempts 
were  made,  before  or  after  this  exploration  of  Welling- 
ton Channel,  to  force  a  passage  southwards,  we  shall 
never  know.  We  can  fancy  the  vivid  hopes  which 
this  quick  passage  so  far  would  have  excited,  and  how, 
as  the  autumn  came  on  with  its  fresh  ice-formation 
and  its  lengthening  night,  it  became  gradually  clear 
that  these  hopes  must  be  laid  by  for  another  year. 

So  far,  the  expedition  had  been  thoroughly  success- 
ful. Nor  did  its  good  fortune  end  here.  Instead  of 
beiu":  locked  in  the  outward  ice-drift,  and  remaininjx 
its  prisoners  for  mouths — as  was  the  fate  afterwards  of 
De  Haven  and  M'Clintock — the  Erebus  and  Terror 
reached  the  bay  at  Beechey  Island  subsequently  known 
by  their  name,  and  Franklin — no  doubt  with  a  thankful 
heart — made  all  the  arranijements  for  the  winter  of 
1845-46  which  his  previous  experiences  suggested. 
He  had,  indeed,  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  liis  ' 
achievements  and  prospects.  He  had  traversed  three 
hundred  miles  in  his  circumnavigation  of  Cornwallis 
Island.  Only  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  had  to  be 
traversed  from  Cape  Walker,  and  the  last  link  in  the 


198 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


^:  , 


North-West  Passage  would  be  discovered.     It  was  a 
cheery  outlook  for  the  coming  spring. 

Meanwhile  the  winter  night  had  to  be  endured,  and 
all  that  could  be  thought  of  to  occupy  the  men's  time 
profitably  and  healthfully  was  carried  into  execution. 
An  observatory  was  carefully  built,  with  a  double 
embankment,  and  a  neat  pathway  leading  to  it.  A 
shooting  gallery  was  devised  under  the  cliffs,  where 
empty  bottles  and  meat-tins  bore  witness  to  many 
merry  excursions.  A  huge  cairn,  eight  feet  high  and 
six  feet  long  at  each  side  of  the  base,  was  erected  on 
the  north  point  of  the  island,  the  materials  for  it  being 
old  meat-tins  filled  with  gravel.  Another  cairn  was 
built  on  the  south-west.  Tents  for  magnetic  observa- 
tions were  rigged  up.  A  large  storehouse  and  work- 
shop and  a  blacksmith's  fcrge  were  builc.  Even  a 
garden  was  made,  into  which  the  mosses  and  anemones 
gathered  by  the  botanists  of  the  party  were  trans- 
planted. Sledge  parties  were  organised,  and  nearly  six 
years  afterwards  the  tracks  of  the  sledges  were  visible 
on  the  frozen  snow.  We  have  seen  in  a  previous 
chapter  how  the  long  hours  of  the  Arctic  night  were 
utilised  by  Franklin  and  his  officers  at  Fort  Enterprise, 
and  we  can  with  certainty  picture  to  ourselves  the 
routine  and  the  holiday  festivities  of  the  winter  of 
1845-46.  The  naturalist's  specimens  were  classified. 
The  journals  were  written  up  daily.  Daily  meteoro- 
logical observations  were  recorded.     Each   man  was 


Winter  Pursuits, 


199 


obliged  to  take  regular  exercise.  A  newspaper,  perhaps^ 
was  published.  All  sorts  of  games  were  i)layed  by  the 
light  of  the  aurora  or  the  moon,  or,  in  rough  weather, 
in-doors.  The  men  attended  schools  formed  by  the 
officers.  Amateur  theatricals  were  set  on  foot.  Christ- 
mas and  New  Year's  Day  were  celebrated  with  au 
enthusiasm  unequalled  perhaps  in  any  home  in  Eng- 
land— perhaps,  too,  with  almost  as  good  cheer.  And 
at  last  the  greatest  day  of  all  arrived,  when  some  of 
many  eager  eyes  caught  the  first  glint  of  the  long-lost 
sun,  and  all  hearts  were  from  that  day  forward  full  of 
visions  of  hope  for  the  summer  at  hand. 

But  their  employments  and  thoughts  were  not  wholly 
pleasant  When  the  English  and  American  expeditions, 
searching  for  Franklin,  were  at  Beechey  Island  in  1850, 
the  commanders — Sir  John  Ross,  Captain  Penny,  and 
Captain  De  Haven — had,  on  August  27th,  settled  a 
combined  plan  of  operations,  and  had  just  separated 
to  carry  them  into  effect,  when  a  man  came  running 
over  the  ice  to  the  spot  where  Captain  Penny  stood, 
calling  out,  "Graves,  Captain  Penny,  graves!"  for  on 
the  crest  of  the  isthmus  connecting  the  so-called  island — 
which  is,  however,  strictly  speaking,  a  peninsula — with 
the  shore,  amid  the  snow  and  slate  all  round,  three 
graves  had  been  found,  coped  with  slabs  of  limestone, 
and  with  headstones,  on  which  were  cut  the  following 
inscriptions : — 


200 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


I , 


r' 


II 


Sacred 

to  the 

Memory 

of 

"W.  Brainf?,  RM., 

H.M.S.  ErehuSy 

Died  April  3rd,  1846, 

Aged  32  yeara. 

**  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve." 

Joshua,  ch.  xxir.  15. 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 
John  Hartwell,  A.B.,  of  H.M.S, 

Erehua, 
Aged  23  years. 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  consider  your  ways." 

Haggai  i.  7. 

Sacred 

to 

The  Memory 

of 

John  Torrington, 

Who  departed  this  life, 

January  1st,  a.d.  1846, 

On  board  of 

H.M.'s  Ship  Terror f 

Aged  20  years. 

Three  brave  men  went  therefore  to  their  rest  that 
winter,  and  three  times  their  comrades  formed  a  sorrow- 
ful procession  to  lay  them  in  their  graves.     Full  of  pity 


FM 


Departure  Jrom  Beechey  Island,        201 


they  were  then,  little  dreaming  how  soon  they  would 
envy  them  their  fate.  But  the  texts  on  the  tombs  are 
eloquent  of  the  manly  spirit  with  which  the  lessons  of 
death  were  accepted,  and  when  at  length  the  summer 
came,  and  the  ice-barriers  gave  way,  it  was  with  hopes 
undashed  by  sad  memories  that  the  126  survivors  left 
their  winter  home  to  strike  once  more  southwards  for 
the  North  American  coast. 

Probably  enough  the  release  came  suddenly.  There 
would  be  some  sudden  shift  of  the  ice,  and  every  one 
not  on  board  would  be  hastily  recalled  as  the  order 
was  given  to  put  to  sea.  Some  slight  evidence  that 
this  was  really  the  case  was  found.  Amid  the  d^hvis 
of  the  encampment — scraps  of  paper,  bits  of  rope  canvas 
and  tarpaulin,  halves  of  barrels  sawn  in  two  for  wood 
tubs — were  found  a  key,  and  a  pair  of  gloves  laid  out 
to  dry,  v/ith  stones  on  them  to  keep  the  wind  from 
blowing  them  away,  which  in  the  hurry  of  departure 
the  owners  would  have  forgotten,  or  have  had  no  time 
to  fetch.  We  can  imagine  how  eagerly  these  traces  of 
the  lost  explorers  were  scanned  by  those  who  first  found 
them.  How  confident  they  must  have  been  of  finding 
some  paper  which  would  give  a  detailed  account  of  the 
past  experience  and  the  future  intentions  of  Sir  John 
Franklin.  But  record  there  was  none.  All  but  the 
tombs  themselves  was  silent  as  the  tomb.  In  all  the 
relics  in  every  part  of  the  encampment,  including  of 
course  the  cairn,  which  was  examined  most  closely,  not 


202 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


a  morsel  of  information  could  be  found.  The  cause  of 
this  strange  silence  has  since  been  understood.  Tlie 
Polar  bear  unites  to  incredible  strength  a  sort  of 
horribly  perverse  curiosity  which  makes  him  rummage 
everything  of  human  manufacture.  There  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  papers,  carefully  sealed,  were  duly 
deposited  in  the  cairn  on  Beechey  Island,  and  that 
eitlier  the  winds  carried  them  away  in  pieces  from 
the  claws  of  the  bears,  or  that  they  were  more  slowly 
digested  in  their  stomachs. 

The  tale  of  the  sojourn  at  Beechey  Island  is  not, 
hov/ever,  quite  finished.  One  black  spot  in  the  hopeful 
prospect  had  already  appeared.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  the  expedition  had  been  amply  victualled  by  the 
Admiralty  for  three  years.  Though  Wellington  Channel 
and  Queen's  Channel  had  been  explored,  and  the  lands 
on  both  sides  added  to  the  map,  one  year  only  had  been 
occupied  in  the  work,  and  two  years'  provisions  should, 
by  rights,  have  been  remaining.  But,  alas !  this  was  far 
from  being  the  case.  The  preserved  meats  supplied 
had  been  those  of  Goldner's  patent,  and  when  it  was 
known  in  England  that  seven  hundred  or  more  of  the 
tins  had  been  found  on  Beechey  Island,  while  at  Ports- 
mouth a  large  quantity  of  the  same  meat  had  been 
condemned  as  putrid,  it  was  plain  that  this  vile  stuff 
had  been  thrown  away  as  worthless,  and  that,  unless 
game  had  been  found  in  plenty  during  the  summer  of 
1846,  the  officers  of  the   expedition   must  have  left 


ni 


Tlie   Voyage  Southwards, 


203 


Beecliey  Island  in  danger  of  scurvy,  if  not  as  yet  of 
starvation. 

Not  a  misgiving,  however,  was  probably  felt  by 
anyone  in  either  ship  when,  in  the  summer  of  184r), 
the  two  consorts  sailed  down  Peel's  Sountl,  with  Prince 
of  Wales  Land  on  their  right  hand  and  North  Somerset 
on  their  left.  And  all  for  a  time  went  well.  In 
accordance  with  the  law  by  which  the  great  fields  of  ice 
in  the  Arctic  Ocean  are  ever  floating  towards  warmer 
seas,  the  ice  pent  up  in  Parry  Sound  is  incessantly, 
though  slowly  pouring  towards  Lancaster  Sound,  and 
the  channel  which  has  been  ascertained  to  lead  to  the 
coast  of  North  America  between  Prince  of  Wales  Land 
and  Victoria  Land,  and  which  is  now  known  by  the 
name  of  M'Clintock  Channel.  Prince  of  Wales  Land 
forms  a  barrier  to  this  vast  ice-flow,  so  that  the  sea  to 
the  east  of  it  is  navigable  in  summer,  while  that  to  the 
west  of  it  is  choked  with  pack-ice,  which  melts  only  as 
it  comes  in  contact  with  the  warmer  water  flowing  from 
the  North  American  Continent.  Directly,  therefore, 
the  ships  had  emerged  from  Peel  Sound  into  that  part 
of  Victoria  Strait  where  no  sheltering  land  protected 
them,  they  came  athwart  the  stream  of  pack-ice  making 
straight  for  the  shore  of  King*  William's  Land,  and 
instead  of  their  hitherto  cheering  progress,  they  were 
compelled  to  drift  slowly  southwards  with  the  ice. 
The  monotonous  perils  of  such  a  drift  we  know  by 
other  instances,  such  as  of  the  American,  De  Haven, 


v ' 


( 


t  i 


f  ". 


It 


r 


204 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


who  was  carried  by  the  ice  from  Wellington  Channel 
into  Baffin's  Bay,  and  was  in  its  clutches  from  Septem- 
ber, 1850,  to  June,  1851. 

The  exact  date  of  the  departure  from  Beechey  Island 
will  never  be  known.  But  no  doubt  it  was  in  the 
month  of  August,  1846.  By  the  12th  of  September 
Franklin  had  advanced  as  far  as  about  12  miles 
due  north  of  Cape  Felix,  the  north  point  of  King 
William's  Land.  There  the  grip  of  the  ice  locked  the 
ships  in  when  two  hundred  of  the  three  hundred  miles 
between  Cape  Walker  and  Cape  Herschel  had  been  | 
passed,  and  the  prize  he  had  been  striving  for  for  so 
many  years  seemed  fairly  in  his  grasp.  Had  he 
only  known  what  was  ascertained  a  few  years  later, 
that  prize  would  have  actually  been  won,  and  he, 
perhaps,  have  lived  to  bring  the  news  to  England.  But 
it  was  not  to  be. 

Any  one  who  has  read  the  preceiing  pages,  and 
glanced  at  the  map,  will  see  how  large  a  portion  of  the 
North  American  Continent  had  been  traced  by  Franklin 
himself.  His  old  friend  Back  had  struck  the  coast  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  Eiver.  Messrs.  Dease  and 
Simpson  had  connected  his  discoveries  with  those  of 
Franklin  anvl  Richardson  westwards,  and  had  extended 
them  eastwards  as  far  as  the  Castor  and  Pollux  River, 
in  1839.  King  William's  Land  was,  therefore,  known 
to  be  separated  from  the  mainland  on  the  south,  and 
on  its  south-western  side  Messrs.  Dease  and  Simpson 


A  Fatal  Error, 


205 


had  erected  a  caiiii  at  Cape  Herschel  in  1839.  But  it 
was  still  called  King  William's  Land,  for  the  channel 
between  its  eastern  shore  and  tlie  Boothian  Isthmus 
had  not  yet  been  traced,  as  it  was  soon  afterwards  by 
Ross  and  Rae.  The  northern  part  of  it  was,  indeeil^ 
known,  but  it  was  marked  on  the  charts  as  a  bay  by 
the  name  of  Poet's  Bay,  and  Franklin  could  not  be 
certain  that  if  he  sailed  down  it  he  would  not  be  sailing 
into  a  cul  de  sac,  and  so  fatally  terminating  his  voyage. 
All  he  did  know  was  that  if  he  could  reach  Cape 
Herschel,  on  the  west  side  of  King  William's  Land,  he 
would  have  connectec'  the  unknown  with  the  known, 
and  solved  the  problem  of  the  North- West  Passage. 
One  short  hundred  miles,  in  almost  a  straight  line. 
That  was  all  that  remained  to  be  completed.  But 
the  circuitous  route  would  have  been  his  salvation, 
and  in  that  short  passage  death  lay  in  wait  for  him  and 
his  men.  Just  as  Prince  of  Wales  Land  acts  as  a 
breakwater  to  the  ice-stream  further  North,  so  King 
William's  Island  does  on  the  South :  and  whereas  on 
its  fearfully  bleak  western  side  no  ship  could  ever 
probably  make  its  way,  on  the  east  a  passage  might  be 
found  in  summer  which  would  lead  by  the  south  of  the 
island  to  the  estuary  of  Back's  Great  Fish  River.  But 
of  this  Franklin  knew  nothing.  There  was  his  chart,  and, 
following  the  only  course  which  it  pointed  out  as  pos- 
sible, he  strove  to  make  his  way  down  Victoria  Strait. 
The  ships  were  beset  on  the  12th  of  September, 


i 


206 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


1846,  when  they  were  just  in  sight  of  King  William's 
Land,  and  the  winter  months  were  spent  in  latitude 
70°  5'  North,  and  longitude  98"  23'  West,  amid  the  oceanic 
ice  which  had  poured  down  between  Victoria  Land  and 
Prince  of  Wales  Land,  through  what  is  now  known  as 
M'CIintock  Strait.  That  they  passed  those  months  as 
pleasantly  as  those  of  the  previous  years  we  can 
scarcely  imagine.  Then,  every  one  was  buoyed  up  by 
the  consciousness  of  a  great  success  achieved,  and  a 
still  greater  one  in  prospect  during  the  coming  summer. 
Now,  the  summer  was  over,  another  working  year  was 
gone,  and,  if  not  as  far  from  their  goal  as  before,  a 
barrier  lay  between  it  which  might  prove  insurmount- 
able after  all.  But  still  they  would  hope  for  the  best. 
Surely  in  a  whole  summer  the  ice  would  open  enough 
for  them  to  force  the  ships  a  hundred  miles.  Mean- 
while, as  soon  as  spring  came,  sledge  parties  should  be 
organised,  and  the  North- West  Passage,  if  it  really,  as 
now  it  was  impossible  to  doubt,  existed,  should  for  the 
first  time  be  beheld  by  civilised  men. 

Accordingly,  on  Monday,  the  24th  of  May,  1847, 
Lieutenant  Graham  Gore  and  Mr.  Charles  F.  Des  Vceux, 
mate,  left  the  ships  with  six  men  to  deposit  papers  at 
the  cairn  built  on  King  William's  Land  by  Sir  James 
Ross  in  1831,  intending,  no  doubt,  to  proceed  after- 
wards to  Cape  Herschel,  so  as  to  discover  with  their 
own  eyes  the  missing  link  in  the  North- West  Passage. 
*'  Sir  John  Franklin  Commanding  the  expedition.    All 


Vf 


Gore's  Record, 


207 


well,"  were  the  cheery  words  which  Gore  wrote  on  the 
paper  before  he  deposited  it.  So  we  know  that,  what- 
ever had  been  th?,  occurrences  of  the  winter  of  1846-47, 
there  had  been  no  serious  loss  by  death  or  illness. 


100  ,        99 


All 


TEACK  OF  THE  CREWS  OF  THE  "EREBUS"  AND  "TERROR." 

Probably  there  were  still  126  men  on  the  two  ships, 
and  though  they  could  hardly  have  escaped  some 
attacks  of  £  curvy,  these  had  been  slight,  and,  as  the 
days  grew  longer,  were  ppssing  away. 


":-;\.^ 


v:. 


208 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


Gore  could  not  find  the  cairn  of  Sir  James  Eoss  in 
the  place  where  he  expected  it  would  be.  But 
apparently  he  did  find  a  cairn,  four  miles  to  the  north 
of  the  spot,  on  Point  Victory.  There  he  left  the  record, 
and,  as  we  may  guess,  set  off  at  once  for  Cape  Herschel. 
In  any  case,  after  completing  his  mission  he  returned  to 
the  ships.  If  he  did  go  to  Cape  Herschel,  and  if  none  of 
the  crew  had  been  there  before  him — a  thing  perhaps 
improbable  in  itself,  but  to  which  the  absence  of  other 
records  lends  some  colour — he  returned  full  of  triumph, 
and  with  the  eagerness  of  a  messenger  of  good  ticUngs. 
But  his  joy  was  turned  to  sorrow  when  he  reached  the 
Erebus  and  Terror,  "All  was  well"  no  long  jr.  Sir 
John  Franklin  was  dying  or  dead.  Hew  he  died  we 
shall  never  know.  The  day  we  do  know — June  11th, 
1847,  eighteen  days  after  Gore's  party  had  left  the 
ships.  Did  they  come  back  too  late  ?  Or  did  the 
news  of  the  achievement  of  a  life's  enterprise  come  just 
in  time  to  soothe  the  brave  old  seaman's  last  hours  ?  If 
so,  who  would  pity  him  ?  A  noble  life  was  nobly  ended. 
Did  anyone  ever  pity  Nelson  ?  Here,  too,  though  in 
more  peaceful  service,  a  great  captain's  eyes  closed  on  a 
crowning  victory.  The  horrors  to  come  he  was  not 
doomed  to  witness.  Calmly,  as  the  brave  do  always,  he 
yielded  up  his  spirit,  stainless  as  the  snows  which  were 
to  give  him  burial,  with  weeping  friends  at  his  bedside, 
with  the  consciousness  that  his  name  would  be  im- 
mortal, ir  the  cause  that  he  loved  best  in  the  world. 


f 


■  v.- 


■iK, 


■'.jS. 


If 


Franklin  s  Death. 


209 


For  such  a  fate  few  tears  should  fall.  Men  and  officers 
mourned  for  him  then,  no  doubt,  bitterly.  But  many 
of  them,  when,  stricken  with  scurvy  and  starvation,  they 
fell  down  on  the  hopeless  road  southwards  in  184^, 
must,  even  in  the  depths  of  their  own  misery,  havi; 
thanked  Heaven  that  their  old  Captain's  last  Lours 
were  untroubled  by  despair  and  suffering  like  their 
own.    Happier  than  they,  he  had  died  as  one  who 

**  Finds  comfort  in  him  ^elf  and  in  his  cause ; 
And,  while  the  mortal  mist  is  gathering,  draws 
His  breath  in  confidence  of  Heaven's  applause." 

At  Franklin's  death  the  chief  command  devolved 

upon  Captain  Crozier — Fitzjaraes,  captain  of  the  Erebus^ 

being  second  to  him  in  rank.     An  anxious  duty  had 

fallen  to  their  lot,  namely,  to  decide  whether  they 

sheuld  stay  by  the  ships  for  another  summer,  or  at  once 

prepare  for  an  overland  journey  along  the  banks,  or  a 

boat-voyage  up  the  waters  of  the  Great  Fish  Eiver. 

We  can  clearly  understand  how  the  reasons  for  the 

former  course  outweighed  those  for  the  latter.     Wilh 

the  exception  of  the  Captain's  death,  the  health  of  fche 

ships*  companies  was  appardfcitly  good.    True  it  was 

that,  owing  to  the  failure  of  the  preserved  meat,  the 

gravest  apprehensions  of  scurvy  might  have  been  felt. 

But  the  causes  of  that  disease  were  less  known  then 

tlwu  now,  and  whatever  the  experience  of  the  autumn 

of  1846  might  have  been,  it  would  not  hive  quenched 
o 


*^ 


h 


210 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


\  i 


the  hope  of  collecting  supplies  of  meat  and  fish  in  the 
summer  of  1847.  Again,  the  perils  of  an  overland 
march  were  too  vividly  impressed  on  the  men,  who  had 
heard  them  from  Franklin's  lips,  to  be  encountered 
except  in  the  last  emergency.  It  was  too  early  to  hope 
that  their  friends  at  home  had  sent  help  to  them  by 
way  of  Hudson's  Bay.  If  they  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  Great  Fish  River,  they  would  be  dependent  solely 
on  their  own  success  in  fishing  and  the  chase.  Without 
Indian  hunters  the  chance  of  subsisting  b}'  such  means 
was  small  indeed.  The  instinctive  dislike  of  a  sailor 
to  desert  his  ship  would  enforce  these  considerations. 
And,  above  all,  no  one  probably  could  in  his  heart 
believe  that  another  summer  would  not  release  the 
vessels  from  the  ice.  The  di.  tance  to  be  traversed  was 
so  short  that  it  must  have  been  impossible  to  despair  of 
deliverance.  On  the  whole  it  may  be  said  that,  even  if 
the  ships  had  been  abandoned  in  1847  instead  of  1848, 
the  fate  of  the  crews  would  have  been  the  same,  uiiless 
their  greater  strength  had  induced  the  Esquimaux 
whom  they  afterwards  met  to  aid  them. 

The  summer  of  1847  saw  them  slowly  drifting  down 
Victoria  Strait  with  the  ice,  till  they  were  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Cape  Victory,  and  only  sixty  mile,s  from  Cape 
Herschel  and  the  open  water  along  the  coast  of  the 
main  land.  When  first  they  were  aware  of  their 
movement,  how  fast  hope  would  have  revived  !  Then, 
as  its  intolerable  slowness  became  apparent,  how  dread- 


M" 


A  Black  Outlook, 


211 


ful  would  have  been  their  suspense!  Finally,  when 
the  autumn  came,  and  the  young  ice  formed,  with  what 
difficulty  would  the  officers  assume  cheerful  faces,  and 
stifle  their  own  forebodings,  in  order  to  keep  up  the 
courage  of  their  men.  It  is  well  known  that  df'spon- 
dency  and  the  absence  of  light  predispose  men  to 
scurvy,  which  a  diet  mainly  consisting  of  salt  meat 
would  by  itself  induce.  All  three  of  these  adverse 
conditions  were  sorely  felt  during  the  winter  of  1847-8 
— for  it  is  not  likely  that  fresh  meat  of  any  importance 
was  procured  on  the  desolate  shores  of  King  William's 
Land.  And  by  the  spring  of  1848  the  fell  scourge  of 
Arctic  explorers  had  made  terrible  havoc  among  the 
men  whom,  in  the  preceding  May,  Gore  had  described 
as  "all  well."  One  hundred  and  twenty-six  men  were 
then  alive ;  but  in  April,  1848,  nine  officers  and  eleven 
men,  besides  Franklin,  were  dead.  Of  these  officers, 
Gore  himself  was  one.  A  hundred  and  five,  therefore, 
were  left  when  it  was  decided  to  abandon  the  ships, 
and  make  for  the  Great  Fish  River  along  the  coast  of 
King  William's  Island.  How  far  the  progress  of  scurvy, 
and  how  far  the  prospect  of  starvation,  induced  this 
step,  we  can  hardly  decide.  The  expedition  had  only 
been  provisioned  till  July,  1848,  and  the  preserved 
meat  had  turned  out  useless.  They  shot  a  good  many 
birds,  no  doubt,  and  probably  a  few  seals  and  bears, 
but  no  deer  or  oxen,  for  the  Esquimaux  told  Captain 
ArClintock  that  there  were  few  of  the  former  and  none 


mtm 


■r-.'' 


:  ^fi 


212 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


f 


Hi 


of  the  latter  on  King  William's  Island.  It  is  true  that 
there  were  fewer  mouths  to  feed  than  when  the  expedi- 
tion started  with  its  full  complement  of  134  men,  five 
of  whom  had  returned  before  the  ships  were  last  seen 
in  Baffin's  Bay.  And  other  motives  besides  want  of 
food  would  have  induced  them  to  set  out  early.  They 
had  over  1,250  miles  to  travel  before  they  could  reach 
the  nearest  fur-post,  if  they  went  overland,  and  their 
first  thought  would  be  to  substitute  for  this  a  sea 
voyage,  if  possible.  With  the  narratives  of  Franklin's 
and  Eichardsou's  boat-voyages  present  to  their  minds, 
it  is  possible  that  they  intended  to  drag  the  boats  to 
the  Great  Fish  River,  and  there  attempt  to  lay  in  a 
stock  of  deer's  meat  and  fish  sufficient  to  last  till  they 
reached  the  Mackenzie  River,  which  they  would  have 
then  ascended  to  Fort  Resolution;  or  more  probably 
they  meant  to  ascend  the  Great  Fish  River  itself, 
having  the  means  of  constructing  smaller  boats  with 
them  if  it  became  necessary  to  abandon  the  large  ones. 
For  either  of  these  plans  an  early  start  was  imperatively 
necejisary,  and  we  may  perhaps  conclude  that  they  were 
driven  to  leave  the  ships  in  April  by  these  motives,  and 
by  the  alarming  inroads  of  scurvy,  rather  than  by  any 
actual  lack  of  food  on  board  the  ships.  We  know,  vbl 
fact,  that  their  supply  of  pemmican  was  not  wholly 
exhausted  at  this  time,  for  a  case  that  had  held  twenty- 
two  pounds  was  found  in  the  boat  they  abandoned. 
That  afterwards  many  of  them  perished  by  starvation 


A  Forlorn  Hope. 


213 


is  quite  certain.  But  it  is  also  certain  that  they  had 
grievously  overrated  their  strength,  and  we  may  con- 
jecture that  it  was  because  they  took  too  little  food  at 
starting,  rather  than  because  they  had  too  little  to  take, 
that  they  ultimately  succumbed  to  famine. 

There  is  positive  and  inferential  evidence  for  this 
conjecture.  Of  the  latter  kind  is  the  expectation 
which  they  would  reasonably  have  formed  of  meeting 
Esquimaux,  from  whom  they  would  purchase  assistance. 
Again,  the  enormous  stock  of  superfluous  articles  taken 
with  them  would  never  have  been  taken  if,  on  the  one 
hand,  they  had  been  actually  starving,  or,  on  the  other, 
they  had  been  careful  to  carry  as  little  with  them  as 
they  could  of  anything  except  food.  Some  of  the 
smaller  articles  would  be  taken  for  barter,  but  much 
was  carried  off  which  had  no  value  in  their  circum- 
stances, though  valuable  in  civilised  lands.  Starving 
men  would  not  have  thought  of  loading  themselves 
with  such  goods,  which,  however,  if  confident  of  having 
sufficient  food,  they  would  naturally  try  to  save.  The 
positive  evidence  is  that  some  of  the  party  returned  to 
the  ships.  One  body  was  found  by  the  Esquimaux  on 
one  of  the  ships,  which  was  in  the  end  driven  ashore. 
Had  th^s  man  died  before  the  first  exodus,  his  comrades 
would  certainly  have  buried  him.  Again,  Captain 
M'CIintock  found  a  boat,  sixty-five  miles  from  the 
place  where  the  ships  had  been  abandoned,  pointing 
towards  the  ships.     The  haulers  of  that  boat  must  have 


I 


I 


n 

?# 


214 


Sir  jfohn  Franklin, 


■ir   !| 


been  returning ;  and  they  certainly  would  not  have 
returned  if  there  had  been  no  food  left  on  board. 

But  taking  this  point  for  granted,  we  are  only 
involved  in  further  difficulties  impossible  to  solve, 
when  we  come  to  compare  the  record  left  by  the 
party  with  the  accounts  gathered  from  the  Esquimaux. 
Hitherto  we  have  been  depending  solely  on  the  words 
of  that  record,  which,  though  meagre  and  curiously 
inexact,  is  intelligible  enough.  Consequently  we  have 
been  able  to  tell  a  connected  story.  But  now  we  have 
to  collate  evidence  apparently  inconsistent  and  irrecon- 
cilable. All  that  can  be  done  is  to  construct  the  most 
probable  theory  of  what  may  have  happened,  after 
briefly  stating  what  really  did  happen,  in  order  to 
complete  the  preceding  narrative. 

What  did  happen  Wv*s  this.  On  the  22nd  of  April, 
1848,  the  105  survivors,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Crozier,  landed  on  King  William's  Island,  in  latitude 
69°  37'  42*  N.,  longitude  98°  41'  W.,  having  deserted 
the  Terror  and  Erebus  five  leagues  N.N.W.  of  their 
place  of  landing.  The  document  deposited  by  Gore 
was  taken  up  from  the  place  where  he  had  left  it, 
four  miles  to  the  northward,  near  Point  Victory,  and 
deposited  on  the  site  of  Sir  James  Eoss's  Pillar.  The 
above  information  was  added  to  it,  as  was  the  change 
of  its  location.  Gore's  death  was  incidentally  men- 
tioned. The  date  of  the  arrival  of  the  crews  at  the  site 
of  the  pillar  was  April  23rd,  and  on  the  26th  they  were 


^'. 


Progress  from  the  Ships. 


215 


to  start  for  the  Great  Fish  RiN^r.  Neither  Captain 
Crozier  nor  Lieutenant  Irving,  who  wrote  the  additions 
to  Gore's  document,  had  the  time  or  means  to  solder  up 
the  cylinder  in  which  it  was  replaced.  They  merely 
placed  it  at  the  top  of  the  cairn  whence  it  had  rolled  to 
the  ground,  and  there  it  was  found  in  1859. 

Three  days,  therefore,  it  had  taken  the  party  to 
traverse  the  fifteen  miles  which  lay  between  this  spot 
and  the  Erebus  and  Terror.  Already  they  had  found 
out  their  weakness,  and  a  vast  quantity  of  articles  was 
thrown  away  here  which  they  found  themselves  unable 
to  carry  farther — viz.,  four  heavy  sets  of  boat's  cooking 
stoves,  pickaxes,  iron  hoops,  old  canvas,  part  of  a  copper 
lightning-conductor,  curtain-rods,  and  a  large  quantity 
of  clothing.  After  thus  lightening  their  loads,  they 
proceeded  along  the  western  shore  of  King  William's 
Island,  dragging  boats  or  sledges.  Somewhere  on  the 
journey  one  of  these  boats  was  abandoned,  and  was  found, 
with  two  skeletons  in  it,  in  1859,  at  a  spot  fifty  miles 
from  Point  Victory,  pointing  not  southwards,  but  in 
the  direction  of  the  ships.  Those  who  were  with  the 
other  boat  or  boats  marched,  on,  sleeping  iu  tents  at 
night,  and  hauling  their  load  on  sledges  by  drag-ropes. 
Every  now  and  then  one  of  them  dropped  down  and  died. 
Some  of  these,  such  as  Lieut.  Le  Vescomte,  were  buried 
by  the  survivors.  Forty  of  them  thus  dragging  along  a 
boat  met  with  some  Esquimaux  sealers,  whom  they  told 
(according  to  the  Esquimaux  tale  to  Dr.  Rae)  that  their 


t 


1 


21G 


iu 


hi 


Sir  yohii  Franklin, 


W 


ships  had  been  cruslied  in  the  ice  (which  we  know  not 
to  have  been  the  case),  and  that  they  were  going  .vhere 
they  expected  to  find  deer  to  slioot.  All  looke  I  lliin, 
uiid  seemed  in  waut  of  provisions ;  and  all  hauled, 
except  one  tall,  stout,  middle-aged  ofliccr. 

Thus  much — though  some  of  it  is  based  on  the 
narratives  of  Esquimaux,  who,  whenever  they  speak  of 
numbers,  are  anything  but  exact — we  may  be  said  to 
know,  practically,  for  certain.  What  happened  after- 
v/ards  is  matter  for  conjecture,  for  the  ibrmation  of 
which  we  have  to  rely  partly  on  intelligence  coming 
from  the  same  source,  and  collected  by  Dr.  Ilae, 
Lieut.  M'Clintock,  Mr.  Anderson,  Captain  Hall,  and 
Lieut.  Schwatka,  partly  on  the  silent  evidence  of  the 
relics  found  by  those  explorers.  Here  and  there 
skeletons  have  been  discovered,  marking  the  spot 
where  some  unfortunate  man  fell  down  and  died  from 
exhaustion  on  the  march,  or,  perhaps,  when  he  had  left 
the  main  body  to  look  for  game.  One  of  these  was  found 
by  M'Clintock  near  Cape  Herschel,  speaking,  even  in 
death,  of  the  successful  achievement  of  the  North-West 
Passage  by  Franklin's  expedition.  The  bones  of  another 
were  brought  home  by  Captain  Hall,  and  are  supposed 
to  have  been  those  of  Lieutenant  Le  Vescomte.  The 
same  commander  heard  that  a  tent  full  of  bodies  and  a 
boat  had  been  seen  in  Terror  Bay,  and  that  seven 
corpses  were  buried  at  or  near  Todd's  Island.  Dr.  Rae 
heard  that  five  bodies  were  found  on  an  island,  and 


■^•J 


The  Last  Survivors, 


217 


fehirty  on  the  niaiiiland  at  the  entrance  to  the  estuary 
of  the  Great  Fish  Iliver.  This  island  was  supposed 
to  be  Montreal  Island  when  M'Clintock  explored  it. 
liut  he  found  nothing  of  note,  and  was  driven  to 
account  for  the  absence  of  any  important  relics  by  the 
supposition  that  they  must  have  been  washed  away  by 
the  sea.  Whether  the  seven  men  of  Todd's  Island  and 
the  five  whom  Dr.  llae  heard  of  are  identical  we  cannot 
say  for  certain,  but  it  seems  probable;  The  relics  found 
on  Montreal  Island  were,  we  may  assume,  brought 
there  by  Esquimaux,  and  Lieutenant  Schwatka  con- 
firms Captain  Hall's  account,  that  the  last  survivors 
died  in  the  hollow  of  the  bay  formed  by  Point  llichard- 
son.  Some  of  these  were  in  tents,  and  one  officer  lay 
on  his  double-barrelled  gun,  with  his  telescope  strapped 
to  his  shoulders.  Their  boat  was  said  to  have  been 
crushed  by  ice,  and  was,  in  any  case,  never  seen  again 
by  any  European.  No  doubt  they  left  a  record  at  CJape 
IJerschel  as  they  prepared  to  cross  to  the  mainland,  but 
none  was  found  there,  and  it  was  probably  taken  away 
by  the  Esquimaux.  Of  the  ships,  one  may  have  sunk 
or  been  destroyed  by  the  natives ;  the  other  is  supposed 
to  have  drifted  southwards,  and  to  have  gone  ashore 
on  King  William's  Island  or  somewhere  on  the  coast  of 
Adelaide  Peninsula,  opposite  the  coast  where  the  boat's 
crew  perished. 

It  is  clear  from  the  above  details  what  was  the  fate 
of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  expedition.    From  fifty 


w 


■■■ 


^ifwppPipiiir 


218 


Sir  John  Franklin, 


III 


to  sixty  men,  at  least,  out  of  the  original  number — 105 
— are  accounted  for.  But  this  question  at  once  arrests 
our  attention — what  became  of  the  remainder  ?  Some 
may  have  lain  down  to  die  where,  when  the  ice  melted, 
their  bodies  would  fall  into  the  water,  and  "  be  lost 
ev(^rmore  in  the  main."  But  surely  they  would  be 
comparatively  few.  Again,  are  we  quite  safe  in 
identifying  the  forty  men  who  reached  the  estuary 
of  the  Great  Fish  Eiver  with  the  forty  seen  by  the 
Esquimaux  on  the  north-west  of  King  William's 
Island  in  spring,  when  we  remember,  first,  that  these 
Esquimaux  said  that  they  were  told  by  the  party  that 
their  ships  had  been  crushed  by  the  ice,  and,  secondly, 
that  M'Glintock  was  told  that  one  ship  was  crushed 
in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  that  her  crew  had  landed  in 
safety  ?  All  we  can  say  is,  that  at  this  point  in 
our  narrative  speculation  begins,  and  that  almost  every 
theory  which  can  be  formed  is  open  to  grave  objections. 
On  the  whole,  it  seems  more  than  possible  that  a 
separation  took  place  after  the  ships  were  abandoned  in 
spring,  and  that  the  Esquimaux  accounts  are  a  confused 
version  of  two  attempts  at  escape — one  by  the  united 
body,  the  other  by  a  portion  who  returned  to  the  ships, 
and  either  remained  by  them  till  one  sank  and  the  other 
was  wrecked,  or  were  eventually  forced  to  leave  them 
by  hunger,  or  were  murdered  by  the  Esquimaux.       ' 

But  before  proceeding  further,  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  it  was  while  this  narrative  was  being  written 


L  ieutenant  Schwa tka. 


219 


that  Lieutenant  Schwatka,  an  officer  in  the  American 
navy,  was,  with  three  other  Europeans — Messrs.  Gilder, 
Klutschak,  and  Melms — actually  engaged  in  trying 
to  clear  up  the  mystery  which  still  hangs  over  the 
fate  of  Franklin's  expedition.  From  Chesterfield 
Inlet  they  struck  across  the  country  for  Back's  Fish 
River,  starting  on  April  1st,  1879.  On  May  22nd 
they  reached  it,  after  following  for  ninety  miles  t!ie 
course  of  a  river  which  Lieutenant  Schwatka  named 
"  Hayes,"  after  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
After  examining  Montreal  Island,  he  thoroughly 
searched  the  weatern  side  of  King  William's  Island, 
and  collected  some  relics  of  the  expedition — among 
them  the  bones  of  a  man  supposed  to  have  been 
Lieutenant  Irving,  and  since  buried  at  Edinburgh. 
The  chivalrous  motive  of  this  expedition,  the-  success 
with  which  its  members  adapted  themselves  to  the 
Esquimaux  diet,  and  the  extremities  of  cold  which  they 
suffered  without  injury,  will  always  make  it  memorable. 
But  though  the  newspapers,  oblivious  of  evidence  long 
before  obtained,  represented  some  old  and  unpleasant 
reports  as  new  discoveries,  practically  this  expedition 
has  added  nothing  to  what  was  already  known. 

Our  main  reliance  must  still  be  placed  on  the  state- 
ments in  the  record  found  at  Point  Victory.  All  we 
can  do  is  to  compare  these  statements  with  the  various 
accounts  given  by  the  Esquimaux  on  various  occasions, 
and  with  the  facts  observed  by  M'Clintock,  and  then 


,  ■  ( 
1 


■HI 


' 


k- 


!  I 


220 


Str  yohn  Franklin, 


leave  the  reader  to  form  his  own  conjectures  as  to  what 
may  have  occurred. 

It  will  be  remembered,  of  course,  that  the  first  intelli- 
gence of  all  was  obtained  in  1850,  from  the  graves  on 
Beechey  Island.  It  is  noticeable  again  here  only 
because  the  dates  on  the  tombs  conclusively  prove  an 
error  in  the  record  found  at  Point  Victory,  where  it 
was  stated  that  the  ships  had  wintered  at  Beechey 
Island  in  1846-47.  Tin's  was  merely  a  clerical  error, 
and  in  the  addition  to  tbe  record  signed  by  Fitzjames 
it  was  clearly  stated  that  the  ships  had  been  beset  in 
the  winter  of  1846-47  near  King  William's  Island. 
From  this,  too,  we  know  the  date  of  the  departure  of 
the  crews  from  the  ships  in  Apiil,  1848,  their  number — 
105  souls — and  the  number  of  deaths  which  had 
occurred  up  to  that  date,  including  that  of  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  Commander  Gore.  But  not  one  word  is 
said  of  the  ships  having  been  crushed  by  the  ice.  On 
the  contrary,  they  are  spoken  of  as  if  they  were  both  in 
existence  when  the  crews  set  out,  nor  can  we  doubt 
tliat  this  was  the  case. 

We  next  come  to  the  intelligence  received  from  the 
Esquimaux  by  Dr.  Rae  in  1854,  which,  though  it 
related  only  to  facts  subsequent  to  the  facts  mentioned 
in  the  record,  was  obtained  five  years  before  that  record 
was  found.  These  Esquimaux  informed  Dr.  Eae,  in 
1854,  that  in  the  spring,  four  winters  past,  while  some 
Esquimaux  were  killing  seals  near  the  north  end  of 


Esquimaux  Reports. 


221 


King  William's  Island,  about  forty  white  men  were 
seen  dra^^f^ini?  a  boat  and  sledj^es  over  the  ice  on  the 
west  side  of  the  island.  None  could  speak  the  Esqui- 
maux language  so  as  to  be  understood,  but  by  bigiu 
they  gave  the  natives  to  understand  that  their  ships 
had  been  crushed  in  the  ice,  and  that  they 'were  going 
where  they  expected,  to  find  deer  to  shoot.  Besides 
some  other  details  mentioned  above,  but  unimportant 
here,  they  related  the  discovery  of  the  bodies  at  the 
estuary  of  Back's  Great  Fish  River  later  in  the  same 
season;  but  before  the  disruption  of  the  ice.  On  this 
we  need  only  remark  now  that  six,  not  four,  winters 
had  elapsed  in  1854  since  this  took  place,  and  that 
both  ships  had  certainly  not  been  wrecked,  as  one 
drifted  ashore  afterwards,  and  that  the  signs  given  had 
either  been  meant  to  describe  the  ships  being  beset,  or 
that  these  Esquimaux,  having  had  a  share  in  the 
plunder  and  destruction  of  them,  wilfully  tried  to 
mislead  Dr.  Kae. 

The  next  information  came  from  Boothian  Esqui- 
maux, met  by  Captain  M'Clintock  in  1859,  near  the 
Magnetic  Pole.  They  possessed  relics  of  the  expedition, 
which,  they  said,  came  from  some  white  peopie  who 
were  starved  upon  an  island  where  there  are  sahno.i ; 
that  none  of  them  had  seen  the  white  men,  but  one 
man  had  seen  their  bones;  and  something  was  said 
about  their  boat  having  been  ^crushed  in  the  ice. 
Subsequently,  one  of  them  said  that  a  ship  with  three 


f^j|PP!|pp!iii.|i4i!*ifl:  »■*  }Ji-4i.UJa^|,.,  .iiw^ii-^^pwiji 


mm> 


222 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


masts  had  been  crushed  by  the  ice  -out  in  the  sea  to 
the  west  of  King  William's  Island,  but  that  all  the 
people  landed  safely.  He  had  not  seen  it  himself, 
but  the  ship  sank,  so  nothing  had  been  got  from  her, 
and  all  the  relics  had  come  from  the  island  in  the  river. 
Not  a  syllable  was  said  about  any  ship  being  driven 
ashore,  but,  meeting  these  same  Esquimaux  a  mouth  later. 
Captain  M'Clintock  was  told  by  one  of  the  young  men 
that  one  ship  had  sunk  in  deep  water,  and  another  had 
been  forced  on  shore,  and  that  a  body  of  a  very  large 
man,  with  long  teeth,  had  been  found  on  this  ship.  This 
information  was,  apparently,  let  out  unwillingly,  and 
the  old  man  who  had  given  the  previous  information 
now  ans\vcied  questions  about  the  wrecked  ship,  of 
which  he  had  made  no  mention  before,  evidently 
because  he  wished  to  keep  Captain  M'Clintock  in  the 
dark.  Both  of  them  said  that  the  ships  were  destroyed 
in  the  fall  of  the  year,  that  all  the  white  men  went 
away  to  the  large  river,  and  that  the  wreck  probably 
still  existed.  This  Esquimaux  not  only  tried  to  mis- 
lead Captain  M'Clintock,  but  had  lied  in  saying  they 
had  got  all  their  relics  from  Montreal  Island,  whereas 
most  of  them  must  have  come  from  the  wreck. 

A  month  later,  more  information  was  obtained  from  a 
party  of  King  William's  Island  Esquimaux,  who  also 
possessed  relics  from  the  wreck,  from  which,  they  said, 
they  were  five  days*  journey  distant.  Little  of  it,  they 
said,  then  remained,  and  it  was  without  masts.    They 


Esquimaux  Reports, 


223 


laughed  while  saying  this,  and  spoke  to  each  other 
about  fire,  from  which  Petersen  concluded  that  they 
had  burnt  the  masts  out  of  the  deck.  They  said  that 
there  had  been  many  boats  which  the  weather  had 
destroyed — that  the  ship  was  forced  ashore  in  \X\Qfall 
of  the  year  by  the  ice,  and  that  they  had  not  visited  her 
in  the  preceding  winter.  One  old  woman  said  the 
white  men  had  dropped  by  the  way  as  they  went  to 
the  Great  Kiver. 

Another  party  was  also  met  on  King  William's 
Island.  Nothing  was  gathered  from  them  except  some 
additional  proof  of  the  untruitworthy  nature  of  Esqui- 
maux reports.  Having  abundance  of  wood,  which  must 
have  come  from  the  wreck,  they  yet  denied  all  know- 
ledge of  any  white  men  having  died  on  their  shores  at 
all.  Captain  M'Clintock  discovered  nothing  at  Montreal 
Island  except  part  of  a  preserved  meat-tin  and  some  iro' . 
and  copper,  which,  he  had  reason  to  think,  had  been 
part  of  the  plunder  of  the  boat  left  by  some  Esquimaux. 
Other  relics,  he  concluded,  from  the  nature  of  the  coast, 
might  have  been  swept  away  by  the  sea. 

We  now  come  to  the  silent  evidence  given  by  the 
relics  of  the  expedition  found  by  Captain  M'Cliutock 
on  King  William's  Island.  But  first  it  must  be 
mentioned  that  there  were  signs  of  the  cairn  at  Cape 
Herschel  having  been  pulled  down  and  searched,  a»id  it 
is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  this  had  been  done  by 
Esquimaux,  who,  hearing  of  the  catastrophe  at  Todd's 


I 


224 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


1 


Island,  and  of  the  white  men's  course  along  King 
William's  Island,  had  followed  up  their  tracks  for  some 
distance,  and  destroyed  the  record  which,  we  can 
hardly  doubt,  had  been  left  at  the  cairn.  For  some 
distance,  it  must  be  noted.  Because  north  of  Cape 
Crozier  all  the  relics  of  the  expedition  were  found  lying 
as  they  had  been  thrown  aside.  The  Esquimaux  would 
never  have  let  alone  the  boat,  and  the  articles  in  it  and 
at  Point  Victory,  it  they  had  known  of  them.  But  as 
either  they  met  the  party  of  forty  before  the  boat  was 
abandoned,  or  were  not  told  of  its  abandonment,  they 
would  not  expect  to  find  anything  by  following  the 
track  of  that  party.  We  may  conclude,  too,  that  the 
ships  had  drifted  considerably  farther  south  before  one 
sank  and  one  drifted  ashore  "  in  the  fall  of  the  year." 

But  what  was  the  import  of  the  boat  found  by 
Captain  M'Clintock  being  pointed  for  the  return  road 
to  the  ships?  This  boat  was  found  fifty  miles  from 
Point  Victory,  as  a  sledge  would  travel,  where  the  coast 
trends  sharply  away  to  the  eastward  from  Cape  Crozier. 
It  was  twenty-eight  feet  long  and  seven  feet  three 
inches  wide,  built  lightly,  and  with  a  view  to  a  light 
draught — suitable,  in  fact;,  for  the  ascent  of  the  Great 
Fish  Eiver,  and  equipped  with  paddles  and  a  canvas 
awning,  under  which  men  could  sleep  in  rain.  The 
weight  of  the  boat  was  from  700  to  800  pounds,  but  it 
was  mounted  on  a  sledge,  which,  at  the  very  least,  must 
have  weighed  650  pounds.    The  whole  weight  of  sledge 


.f 


Relics  Found. 


225 


and  boat  was  about  1400  pounds,  a  heavy  load  for  seven 
strong  men.  Inside  the  boat  were  portions  of  two 
liuman  skeletons — one,  much  destroyed  by  wolves,  of  a 
slight  young  man,  in  the  bow;  the  other,  under  tiie 
after  thwart,  enveloped  in  clothes  and  furs,  and  in  a 
more  perfect  state — these  were  the  bones  of  a  man 
older  and  strongly  made.  Near  the  latter  were  five 
watches  and  two  double-barrelled  guns,  one  barrel  in 
each  loaded  and  cocked,  standing  muzzle  upright  against 
the  boat  side.  Five  or  six  books,  all  religious,  except 
the  "  Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  were  found,  one  with  Gore's 
initials,  and  an  amazing  quantity  of  clothing  and  mis- 
cellaneous articles,  including  two  rolls  of  sheet  lead,  and 
twenty-six  silver  spoons  and  forks,  which  were  very 
likely  issued  to  the  men-  for  their  use  as  the  only  way 
of  preserving  them.  There  was  a  little  tea  and  forty 
pounds  of  chocolate,  but  no  biscuit  or  meat.  Tliere 
was,  however,  an  empty  pemmican  case,  which  would 
have  held  twenty-two  pounds. 

These  are  all  the  data  we  have  for  forming  an 
opinion  as  to  what  became  of  the  rest  of  the  two 
crews.  Perhaps  what  happened  was  this.  The  weary 
journey  to  Point  Victory  must,  even  thus  early,  have 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  travellers  to  their  manifest 
inability  to  draw  the  loads  which  they  had  brought 
away.  After  discarding  much,  they  toiled  on  till  first 
one  and  then  another  fell  behind  from  weakness. 
Those  who  remember  the  facts  of  Franklin's  retreat 


226 


Sir  John  Fraiikliii, 


r 


from  the  sea  to  Fort  Enterprise  can  picture  to  them- 
selves the  scene.  At  last  a  number  would  demand 
permission  to  return  to  the  ships.  This  is  what  they 
would  have  urged  to  their  officers,  "  You  see  we  are 
rapidly  failing.  Some  are  dead  already.  We  shall  die 
too  if  we  continue  on  the  journey.  If  we  die  of  scurvy 
on  the  ships,  where  there  is  at  least  shelter  and  salt 
meat,  we  shall  not  be  'Worse  off.  Moreover,  the  Esqui- 
maux we  have  seen  may  help  us  till  summer  comes, 
^when  we  shall  shoot  birds,  and  may  drift  down  to  the 
open  water  along  the  coast.  Perhaps  the  ice  itself  may 
open  and  set  us  free.  In  any  case  there  is  the  chance 
of  our  subsisting  till  you  send  us  help  if  you  escape,  as 
you  may  do  if  you  pick  out  the  strongest  men,  take 
most  of  the  provisions  left  in  the  boats,  and  press  on. 
If  it  is  a  poor  chance,  it  is  at  least  better  than  a  certain 
and  painful  death."  Such  an  appeal  would  surely  have 
been  irresistible,  and  a  large  party  may  have  gone  back 
on  the  return  journey,  dragging  their  boat  perhaps  part 
of  the  way,  but  soon  finding  it  preferable  to  leave  it 
behind,  and  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  ships; 
for  the  dreary  nature  of  the  coast  and  the  fearful 
climate,  the  air  of  which  Captain  M'Clintock  describes 
as  constantly  loaded  with  chilling  fogs,  would  I'lave 
made  shelter  the  one  thing  which  these  way-worn 
men  would  have  prized  next  after  wholesome  food. 
After  this  party  had  gone  back,  others  might  have 
fallen  weak,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  join  them. 


1   '' 


Surmises, 


227 


Failing  to  overtake  the  main  body,  they  would  come  to 
the  boat.  Two  of  them,  we  may  fancy,  were  too  weak 
to  go  farther,  and  staying  there  for  the  night,  after  first 
taking  precautions  to  load  two  guns  and  place  them 
ready  to  hand,  lay  down  to  sleep,  never  to  rise  again. 
Soui<^  at  all  events  of  the  return  party  reached  the  ships. 
One  man,  we  know,  died  on  board,  and  was  unburied. 

What  was  the  tragedy  in  which  he  had  been  an 
actor?  Did  scurvy  and  famine  daily  claim  their 
victims,  who  were  daily  buried  with  such  burial  as  the 
survivors'  strength  permitted,  till  he  only  remained  ? 
Did  the  return  party  in  the'r  despair  make  a  second 
attempt  at  escape  in  the  fall  of  the  year?  Did  the 
Esquimaux  come,  and,  seeing  their  weak  state,  slaughter 
them,  inventing  afterwards  the  tale  of  the  ship  having 
sunk  in  deep  water,  when  they  saw  other  white  men, 
and  dreaded  their  vengeance?  Or  did  most  of  them 
really  perish  by  the  happier  fortune  of  the  foundering 
of  their  ship  ?  Or,  lastly,  did  any  considerable  number 
ever  reach  the  ships  at  all  ?  These  are  questions  which 
naturally  suggest  themselves,  but  to  which  no  satisfactory 
answer  can  be  given.  The  answers  of  the  Esquimaux 
were  suspicious,  and  their  disinclination  to  tell  Captain 
]\rClintock  the  whole  truth  palpable.  Nor  will  the 
readers  of  a  previous  chapter  be  reassured  by  their 
recollection  of  the  experiences  of  Franklin  and  Eichard- 
sou,  when  they  came  upon  the  Esquimaux  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Coppermine  River.    The  state  of  the 


4^ 


228 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


ice,  too,  as  described  by  Captain  M'Clintock  and  otlicrs, 
makes  the  story  of  a  ship  sinkinj^  in  deep  water 
surprising.  On  the  other  hand,  two  parties  of  Esciui- 
niaux  told  the  same  tale,  which  is  conclusive  of  its 
truth,  unless  we  imagine  that  it  was  set  afloat  when  Dr. 
Itie'rf  enquiries  were  rumoured  from  family  to  family. 
Those,  too,  whom  Captain  M'Clintock  met,  seemed 
friendly,  and  some  had  never  seen  white  men  before. 
AVe  can  only  say  that,  by  their  own  showing,  the 
Esquimaux  gave  our  countrymen  no  help;  that  they 
had  certainly  a  large  amount  of  plunder  in  their 
possession,  which  they  admitted  came  from  the  ship 
which  was  wrecked ;  that  some  of  their  statements 
apparently  conflict  with  the  statements  of  the  record 
(viz.,  that  the  crews  had  left  in  the  I'all  of  the  year,  and 
that  they  were  told  that  the  ships  had  been  crushed  in 
the  ice);  and  that  it  is  probable  that,  if  resisted  when 
attempting  robbery,  they  would  not  have  scrupled  to 
commit  murder.  But  it  is  quite  as  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  some  of  the  return  party  did  perish  with 
one  of  the  ships  which  did  break  up  and  sink,  owing  to 
some  sudden  movement  of  the  ice,  and  that  the  others 
perished  by  disease  or  starvation,  attempting  in  the.  fall 
of  the,  year  to  tread  in  the  steps  of  their  comrades  who 
had  left  them  in  the  spring. 

Here,  then,  the  story  of  this  last  expedition  of 
Franklin  ends.  That  we  know  as  much  as  we  do 
of  its  fate  is  due  mainly  to  the  dauntless  determina- 
tion of  his  heroic  wife.  On  Beechey  Island  there 
is  a  flagged  square  sacred  to  the  dead,  but  beneath 


\ 


I 


Tablet  on  Bcecfuy  Island, 


229 


u 


which  no  dead  lie — all  the  more  impressive,  indeed, 
because  its  earth  is  tenintless,  and  perhaps  more 
suggestive  of  pathetic  memories  than  any  burial-place 
in  the  world.  There  are  inscribed  the  names  of  the 
men  who  died  in  Sir  PMward  IJelclier's  expedition  in 
search  of  Franklin.  There  is  a  tablet  to  the  gallant 
young  Frenchman,  Bellot.  And  there  stands  a  marble 
slab  sent  out  by  Lady  Franklin,  and  erected  by  Captain 
M'Clintock,  commemorating  the  fate  of  her  husband 
and  his  men.     The  following  is  the  inscription : — 

To  tho  Memory  of 

Franklin, 

Crozieh,  Fitzjames, 

and  all  their 

gallant  brother  officers  and  faithful 

companions,  who  have  suffered  and  perished 

in  the  cause  of  science  and 

the  service  of  their  country. 

This  Tablet 
is  erected  near  the  spot  where 

they  passed  their  first  Arctic 

winter,  and  whence  they  issued 

forth  to  conquer  difficulties  or 

To  Die. 

It  commemorates  the  grief  of  their 

admiring  countrymen  and  friends, 

and  the  anguish,   subdued  by  faith. 

of  her  who  has  lost,  in  the  heroic 
leader  of  the  expedition,  the  most 
devoted  and  affectionate  of 
Husbands. 

•*  And  so  He  bringeth  tliem  unto  the 
haven  where  they  would  be." 
1855. 


u 


230 


Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


1 1 


h  ! 


The  record  found  at  Point  Victory  has  often  been 
alluded  to.  Subjoined  is  a  copy  of  it,  minus  the  printed 
directions,  in  six  languages,  to  the  finder  to  forward  it 
to  the  Admiralty. 

"28th  of  May,  1847.— H.M.  ships  Erehus  and  Terror 
wintered  in  the  ice  in  lat.  70"  05'  N.,  long.  98°  23'  W. 
Having  wintered  in  1846-7  at  IJcechey  Island,  in  lat.  74° 
4.r  28"  K,  long.  91°  39'  15"  W.,  after  having  ascended 
Wellington  Chaimel  to  lat.  77°,  and  returned  by  the  west 
Bide  of  Cornwallis  Island.  Sir  John  Franklin  commanding 
the  expedition.     All  well. 

"  Party  consisting  of  2  officers  and  6  men  left  on  Monday, 
24th  of  May,  1847. 

"  Gm.  Gore,  Lieut. 
Chas.  F.  Des  V(Eux,  Mate." 

The  above  was  written,  probably  by  Lieut.  Gore,  on 
one  of  the  printed  forms  furnished  by  the  Admiralty  to 
exploring  expeditions,  and  round  the  margin  of  it,  in 
Capt.  Fitzjames's  hand,  was  the  following  information : — 

"April  25,  1848. — H.M.  ships  Terror  and  Erebus  were 
deserted  on  the  22nd  April  5  leagues  N.N.W.  of  this, 
having  been  beset  since  12th  September,  1846.  The  officers 
and  crews,  consisting  of  105  souls,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  F.  K.  M.  Crozier,  landed  here  in  lat.  69°  37'  42"  N., 
long.  98°  41'  W.  Sir  John  Franklin  died  on  the  11th 
June,  1847;  and  the  total  loss  by  deaths  in  the  expedition 
has  been  to  this  date  9  officers  and  15  men. 

«  Signed, 

F.  R.  M.  Crozier,  James  Fitzjames, 

Captain  and  Senior  Officer.       Captain  H.M.S.  Erebus." 

In  Captain  Crozier's  hand  was  written — 

"  And  start  on  to-morrow,  26th,  for  Back's  Fish  River." 


f  r 


Results  of  Expeditions, 


231 


It  ia  no  part  of  the  plan  of  this  book  to  enter  into 
any  account  of  the  various  expeditious  sent  iu  search  of 
Franklin.  But  the  enormous  additions  made  to  our 
geo<Traphical  knowledge  by  Franklin  himself,  and  by 
the  expeditions  sent  in  search  of  him,  will  be  apparent 
at  a  glance  to  an^^one  who  takes  up  a  map  of  the  Arctic 
regions  as  they  were  known  before  the  journey  to  the 
Coppermine  Eiver,  and  as  they  are  known  now. 

Northwards  up  Baffin's  Bay  the  entrance  to  Smith's 
Sound  had  been  sighted,  but  that  was  all.  All  the 
American  discoveries  were  unknown.  Westwards,  out 
of  Baffin's  Bay  through  Lancaster  Sound  (then  marke<l 
in  the  maps  in  full  as  Sir  JoIih  Lancaster's  Sound)  and 
Barrow  Straits,  the  southern  coasts  of  North  Devon, 
Cornwallis  Island,  Bathurst  Island,  Byam  Martin 
Island,  and  Melville  Island  had  been  traced  by  Parry, 
and  the  groups  thus  partially  observed  had  been 
christened  by  a  name  which  has  been  superseded  by 
tliat  of  its  discoverer,  and  is-  now  forgotten,  the  IV.th 
Georgian  Islands.  Prince  Patrick's  Island  had  not  been 
sighted.  On  the  southern  side  of  the  channel  up  which 
Parry  sailed,  a  small  portion  of  the  north  of  Bank's 
Land  had  been  seen,  and  so  had  a  small  portion  of  the 
north  of  North  Somerset  and  of  Prince  of  Wales  Land, 
but  Victoria  Land  and  Prince  Albert  Land  were  undis- 
covered. The  northerly  entrance  to  Kegent's  Inlet  was 
knov/n,  and  so  was  Melville  Peninsula;  but  Boothia  and  * 
King  William's  Land  were  a  blank  on  the  map.   Lastly, 


*/l 


232 


"  Sir  yohn  Franklin, 


W 


the  outline  of  the  large  island  now  known  as  Baffin's 
Land  was  very  imperfectly  delineated,  and  it  had  not 
been  discovered  that  there  was  a  large  island  to  the 
south  of  it,  and  a  smaller  one  to  the  north-west,  each 
divided  from  it  only  by  a  narrow  strait. 

Proceeding  from  the  islands  to  the  North  American 
Continent,  we  find  that  from  Icy  Cape  near  Bering's 
Straits  to  Melville  Peninsula  the  whole  northern 
seaboard  and  the  inland  country  for  hundreds  of  miles 
were  Urra  incognita^  except  whore  at  two  points  the 
maps  v/ere  marked  "  Sea  according  to  M'Kenzie ;"  "  Sea 
according  to  Hearne."  Thus  vast  are  the  acquisitions 
to  geography  which  we  connect  directly  or  indirectly 
with  Franklin.  His  is  the  central  name  round  which 
those  of  all  the  other  discoverers  of  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  clusters.  His  story  is  to  theirs 
what  the  main  Iliad  is  to  its  episodes,  however 
brilliant.     And,  like  the  Iliad,  it  is  a  story  which  will 


never  be  forgotten. 

Very  much  of  the  interest  felt  in  Franklin's  fate  was 
assuredly  due  to  his  personal  character.  It  is  curious, 
therefore,  to  notice  that,  from  one  point  of  view  at  least, 
he  was  throughout  his  career  an  unsuccessful  man. 
There  was  something  lacking  to  all  the  main  efforts  of 
his  life.  In  his  first  expedition  he  failed,  and  failed 
amid  horrible  disasters,  to  reach  Eepulse  Bay ;  but  all 
Englaud  applauded  that  failure.  In  the  second  ho 
failed  to  reach  the  point  which  he  had  been  ordered  to 


^iTS 


■.ummmMmmmmmms^mmm»mmmfm,n^^>'*m->«:*<tm 


->: 


Franklin 's  Character, 


233 


make  for,  while  his  subordinate  Richardson  succeeded 
in  his  allotted  share  of  the  enterprise;  but  honours  were 
heaped  upon  him  when  he  came  home.  He  was  treated 
with  much  contumely  in  his  Governorship  of  Tasmania; 
but  the  Tasmanians  thronged  to  cheer  him  and  bless 
him  when  he  left  their  shores,  and  scarcely  had  he  come 
home  when  he  was  appointed  to  his  last  command. 
Finally,  his  last  expedition  ended  in  his  own  death,  and 
the  extinction  of  the  whole  party  in  a  catastrophe 
silent,  dire,  and  complete.  But  as  a  life  of  failures  had 
made  him  famous,  so  his  death  made  him  immortal. 

Success  is  so  generally  accepted  as  the  touchstone  of 
merit,  that  the  man  whose  failures  were  treated  as 
triumphs  must  have  possessed  extraordinary  qualities. 
And  he  did  possess  in  an  extraordinary  degree  qualities 
at  once  simple  and  great.  He  was  an  indefatigable  worker, 
without  making  pharisaic  proclamation  of  his  industry. 
He  did  not  take  care  that  his  right  hand  should  never 
be  ignorant  of  the  acts  of  his  left,  nor  kept  both 
figuratively  upraised  at  the  imaginary  shortcomings  of 
his  neighbours,  but  took  his  work  lightly,  while  finding 
time  for  innumerable  occupations  and  cares.  He  was 
absolutely  loyal  to  his  friends,  so  that  men  like  Back 
and  Richardson,  fully  his  equals,  perhaps  his  superiors 
in  some  points,  would  have  given  their  lives  for  him. 
And  there  was  no  pettiness  in  his  loyalty.  He  knew 
nothing  of  the  small  strivings  and  jealousies  which 
make  up  the  interests  of  small  msn.     He  was  so 


» 


':^. 


-ift.    ,.>;■    ii**--. 


■ 


■'«*. 


234 


Sir  John  Franklin. 


tolerant  that  he  won  the  affections  of  men  who  had 
over  and  over  again  abused  his  confidence.  As  far  as 
we  can  judge  from  his  diary,  he  never  spared  himself, 
he  never  praised  himself.  He  often  praised  and  rarely 
censured  others.  He  was  conciliatory,  firm,  straight- 
forward, and,  above  all  things,  just.  He  might  have 
.been  said  to  be  "  full  of  longsuffering,  goodness,  gentle- 
ness, faith."  Without  affectation  of  generosity,  he  was 
one  of  the  most  generous  men  that  ever  breathed,  and 
there  was  i^  him  withal  a  genuine  spice  of  the  knight- 
errant.  Such  qualities  as  these,  when  displayed  on  a 
striking  stage,  always  enlist  the  sympathies  of  English- 
men, and  that  is  why,  during  his  life  and  after  his 
death,  they  loved  and  honoured  Franklin. 


-.  t 


1 


■'^>. 


INDEX. 


Adam,  44,  46,  69,  72,  103. 

Aii-a,  137,  176. 

Akaitcho,  41,  44,  47,  50,  54,  62, 

65,  101. 
Anoethaiyazzeh,  63. 
Anxiety  Point,  150. 
Arnold,  Dr.,  185 
Athabasca  Lake,  34,  114. 
Augustus.  54,  62,  68,  83,  90,  118, 

137,  144,  170,  175,  176. 
Aurora  Borealis,  24. 

Babbage  River,  146. 

Back,  Mr.  George,  25,  34,  46,  48, 

49,  55,  57,  81,  85,  90,  114,  137, 

139,  169,  175. 
Back  Bay,  167. 
Banks,  Sir  J.,  22. 
Baptiste,  121. 
Barendz,  12. 
Barrow,  Sir  J.,  22. 
Bathurst  Inlet,  71 ;  Cape,  164. 
Beaulieu,  126,  134,  168. 
Beauparlant,  46,  106. 
Beechey,  Captain,  152. 

,,         Island,  199. 
Belanger,  S.,  46,  50,  59,  90. 

„       J.  B:,  46.  59,  95. 
Belleau,  46. 
B^mnoit,  46,  77. 
Bering's  Straits,  11. 
Bethune,  Mr.,  38. 
Bexley,  Cape,  166. 
Birds  as  almanacks,  60. 
Black  meat,  40. 
Bloody  Fall,  68,  167. 
Braine,  W.,  200. 
Brown,  Mr.  R.,  19. 
Buchan,  Captain,  12,  22. 


Cameron,  Mr.,  38. 

Canoe,  bark,  41,  115. 

Carlton  House,  37. 

Carlsen,  Captain,  14. 

Cedar  Lake,  33. 

Chapewee,  172. 

Chipewyan,  Fort,  25, 36,40, 42, 60. 

Clarence  River,  147. 

Clark,  Mr,  38. 

Clavering,  12. 

Conwoyto,  78. 

Conybeare,  Mount,  148. 

Copper  Indians,  40. 

,,      Mountains,  67. 
Coppermine  River,  23,  24,  45,  49, 

66,  167. 
Cornwallis,  Admiral,  19. 
Coronation  Gulf,  166. 
Cournoyee,  46,  59. 
Cracroft  River,  78. 
CrMit,  46,  79,  84. 
Cree  Indians,  34  ;  traditions  of,  34. 
Cross  Lake,  33. 
Crozier,  Captain,  192. 
Cumberland   House,   28,    30,  34, 

49,  115,  116. 
Currie,  Alexander,  137. 

Dance,  Sir  N.,  19. 
Davis'  Straits,  22,  25. 
Dease,  Mr.,  40,  114,  121,  176. 

,,      Kiver,  134. 
De  Haven,  Captain,  199. 
Digge's  Island,  27. 
Discoveries,  American,  14. 

„  Dutch,  14. 

„  English,  14. 

I,  Russian,  14. 

II  Swedish,  14. 


n 


MM 


236 


Index, 


f 


§ 


Dogs,  57,  133. 
Dolphin,  157. 
Dolphin  Straits,  166, 
Drumraond,  Mr.,  114,  116,  171, 

175. 
Dumas,  46,  69. 
Duncan,  William,  137,  141. 

ECHKMAMIS,  33. 
Encountei',  Point,  161. 
Enterprise,  Fort,  49,  69,  70,   90, 

101. 
Esquimaux,  27,  68,  138,  145,  153 

158,  163,  220. 

Faiuholme,  Lieut.,  193 

Felix,  Frangois,  137. 

Fitzjames,  Lieut.,  192,  209. 

Flinders,  Captain,  18. 

Foggy  Island,  140. 

Fontano,  46. 

Forcier,  46,  69. 

Fox  River,  30. 

Fotherby,  11. 

Franklin,  16;  birth,  17;  first 
voyage,  18 ;  enters  navy,  18  ; 
at  Copenhagen,  18  ;  at  Trafal- 
gar, 19 ;  at  Flushing,  New 
Orleans,  20 ;  first  expedition, 
23  ;  first  perils,  27 ;  start  from 
Cumberland  House,  36 ;  scarcity 
of  provisions,  39  ;  interview 
with  Akaitcho,  44 ;  mutiny 
quelled,  47  ;  misconduct  of  Mr. 
Weeks,  51  ;  winter  occupa- 
tions, 53 ;  Akaitcho 's  whims,  63 ; 
Indians  Jesert,  69  ;  food  fails, 
70;  returns,  72;  terrible  suf- 
ferings, 74  ;  famine,  76  ;  dis- 
cipline and  mutiny,  81 ;  reaches 
Fort  Enterprise,  90  ;  returns  to 
England,  111;  honours,  112; 
married,  112 ;  Parry's  letter, 
113;  leaves  Liverpool,  116; 
objects  of  second  expedition, 
117;  reaches  the  sea,  123; 
return  to  foit,  124;  letter  to 
J^lurohisou,     128  ;     expedition 


starts,  137 ;  encounter  with 
Esquimaux,  140;  return  neces- 
sary, 151 ;  arrives  at  Fort 
Franklin,  155 ;  winter  occupa- 
tions, 169;  extreme  cold,  169; 
sets  out  for  England,  170 ; 
honours  conferred,  178 ;  second 
marriage,  179 ;  Governor  of 
Tasmania,  180 ;  letter  to  Mr. 
Barrow,  183  ;  leaves  Tasnmnia-, 
189  ;  some  anecdotes,  191 ;  last 
expedition,  191 :  first  alarm, 
195 ;  rewards  offered,  195 ; 
relics  at  Beechey  Island,  199  ; 
his  death,  208 ;  relics,  225 ; 
results  of  expedition,  231  ;  his 
character,  232. 

Franklin  Bay,  165;  Fort,  125, 
155,  168. 

Fraser,  Mr.,  118. 

Fuller,  Thomas,  157. 

Gagne,  46,  69. 

Garry  Island,  123. 

Gell,  Rev.  J.,  185. 

Gillet,  Thomas,  157. 

Good  Hope,  Fort,  121,  124,  165. 

Gore,  Lieut.  G.,  206,  207. 

Great  Bear  Lake,  45. 

„     Slave  Lake,  28,  43,  45. 
Green  Stockings,  52. 
Griffen,  Miss,  179. 

Hall,  Captain,  216. 

Hallom,  Robert,  137. 

Harkness,  George,  157. 

Harrowby  Bay,  163. 

Harmony,  26.  ,' 

Hartnell,  John,  200. 

Hayes  River,  28,  29. 

Hepburn,  John,  25,   34,  46,   48, 

85,  92,  94,  110. 
Herschel  Island,  153. 
Hill  Gates,  32.  \ 

Hill  River,  30,  31. 
Holey  Lake,  32. 
Hood,  Mr.  Robert.  25,  29,  34,  42, 

46,  48,  82,  85,  96. 


% 


itmmaim 


mmm 


Index. 


237 


I 


Hood  River,  74. 

Hook,  The,  62,  67,  70. 

Hudson,  11,  12. 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,   24,  28, 

114. 
Humpy,  63,  119. 
Huron,  Lake,  116. 

Indians,  30,  100,  168  ;  Dopf  Ribs, 
132  ;  Hare,  121  ;  instinct,  171  ; 
Loucheux,  121,  136  ;  traditions, 
172. 

Irving,  Lieut.,  215,  219. 

Isle  a  la  Crosse,  88,  117. 

Jack  River,  31. 
Jones'  Sound,  22. 
Junius,  54,  62,  65,  68,  83. 

Kendall,  Mr.,  114, 157, 158, 162; 

Cape,  167. 
Keskanah,  48,  54,  119. 
Knee  Lake,  31. 
Knife  Portage,  31. 
Koldevi'ey,  12. 

Lancaster  Sound,  23,  196. 
Le  Vescomte,  Lieut ,  215. 
Little  Lake,  171 ;  River,  34. 
Longlegs,  63. 
Lopstick,  32. 

Maodonald,  Neil,  137. 
Mackenzie,  Sir  A.,  24  ;  River,  45, 

137. 
Maitland,  Cape,  163. 
Mai-ten  Lake,  104. 
Mathews,  Thomas,  116,  137. 
M'Clintock,  Lieut.,  216,  221. 
Mc Vicar,  Mr.,  40,  171. 
Melville  Sound,  74. 
M'Duffey,  John,  157. 
Michel,  46,  94,  98. 
M'Leary,  John,  157. 
M'Lellan,  John,  157. 
Money,  William,  157. 
Montreal  Island,  217. 
Moose  Deer  Island,  43. 


Moose  Factory,  27. 
Munroe,  George,  157. 

Nares,  Captain,  12. 
Nordenskjold,  Prof.,  11. 
Norman,  Fort,  120. 
North-East  Passage,  11. 
North  Polar  Passage,  11. 
North-West  Passage,  11,  22. 
North-West  Company,  28. 
Norway  Point,  33. 

Ontario,  Lake,  116. 
Ooligbuck,  118,  157,  158. 
Oxford  House,  32. 

Painted  Stone,  33. 

Parent,  46,  69. 

Parry,  Sir  E.,  12,  16,  23, 113,191. 

,,      Cape,  165. 
Penny,  Captain,  199. 
Peltier,  46,  81,  98. 
Perrault,  46,  79,  95. 
Phipps,  11. 

Pierre  an  Calumet,  39. 
Pine  Island  Lake,  34. 
Play  Green  Lake,  33. 
Point  Lake,  65,  69. 
Pole,  three  routes  to,  10  ;    ](rob- 

able  physiography  of,  13. 
Poole,  11. 
Porden,  Miss,  112. 
Portage,  30. 
Prince  cf  Wales,  25. 
Providence,  Fort,  41,  44,  49. 
Prudens,  Mr-,  37. 

Rae,  Dr.,  177,  216,  220. 

Rainy  Lake,  116. 

Reliance,  134. 

Resolution,  Fort,  119,  171. 

Return  Reef,  152. 

Richard's  Island,  158. 

Richardson,  Dr.,  25,  34,  42,  46, 
48,  64,  83,  85,  92,  94,  114,  124, 
135,  157,  165,  168,  171,  175. 

Rock  House,  30  ;  Portage,  30. 

Ross,  Captain,  22,  199. 


# 


•\ 


238 


Index, 


% 


Samandrk,  46,  43,  99. 
Stiskatchawau  Kiver,  33,  116. 
Schwatka,  Lieut.,  217,  219. 
Scoresby,  12,  21 ;  letter  to  Sir  J. 

Banks.  22. 
Sinicoe,  Lake,  116. 
Simpson,  Mr.,  176. 

Fort,  119,  170. 
Slave  Lake,  69. 

,,     River,  43. 
Sledge,  36. 
Smith  Sound.  fW. 
Smith,  Mr.,  40,  42. 
Snow  shoes,  37. 
Spence,  Robert,  137. 
Spinks,  R.,  133,  137,  155. 
Stewart,  Archibald,  137,  176. 
St.  Oerraain,  43,  46,  52,  54,  61, 

69,  72,  84. 
Steel  River,  29. 
Strahan,  Admiral,  19. 
Stuart,  Mr.  J.,  39. 
St.  Vincent,  Admiral,  19. 
Superior,  Lake,  116. 
Swampy  Lake,  31. 

Todd's  Island,  217. 
Torrington,  John,  200. 
Trijpe  de  roche,  56,  77. 
Trout  River,  31 ;  Fall,  31. 


Turna;^ain  Point,  72. 
Tysoe,  Shadrack,  157. 

Union,  157. 
Union  Strait,  166. 
Upper  Savage  Island,  27. 

'i 
Vaillant,  46,  81. 
Vivier,  Alexis,  137,  140. 

Wager  Bay,  59. 

Walnut  Shell,  115,  167. 

Wear,  26. 

Weeks,  Mr.,  51,  54,  55,  102. 

Weepinapannis  River,  32. 

Weesakootchakt,  33. 

Wentzel,  Mr.,  41,  44,  49,  54,  65, 

69,  109. 
Wilberforce  Falls,  74. 
William,  Fort,  116. 
Williams,  Governor,  28,  31,  59. 
Wilson,  George,  137,  141. 
Windy  Lake,  32. 
Winnipepr,  Lake,  33,  116. 
Winter  River,  89. 
WoUaston  Land,  166. 

Yellow  Knife  River,  46,  47. 
York  Factory,  28. 
York  Flats,  27. 


/ 


'!*■ 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  G.  P,  PUTNAM'S  SONS. 


A   NEW  VOLUME   BY    "JOHN   LATOUCHE. 

PORTUGAL,  OLD  AND  NEW.  By  Oswald  Crawfurd,  British 
Consul  at  Oporto.  Octavo,  with  maps  and  illustrations,  cloth 
extra,  $3  5° 

Mr.  Crawfurd,  who  is  better  known  in  literature  under  his  novt  de  flume  of 
John  Latouche,  has  resided  for  many  years  in  Portugal  and  has  had  exceptional  op- 
osrtunities  for  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  country  and  its  people. 

"  The  whole  book,  indeed,  is  excellent,  giving  the  reader  not  information 
only,  but  appreciation  of  Portugal,  its  climate,  its  people  and  its  ways.  It  is  not  a 
book  of  travel,  but  a  book  of  residences,  if  we  may  say  so." — New  York  Evening  Post. 

"  Mr.  Crawfurd's  admirable  book  is  most  opportune,  and  his  long  residence  in 
the  country,  his  intimate  and  critical  knowledge  of  the  language,  history,  poetry,  and 
the  inner  life  of  the  people,  render  him  an  authority  as  sa^  to  follow  as  he  is  pleas- 
ant.   *    ♦    *    The  book  is  excellent  in  every  way.  —yl/A^wa'w/w. 

"  A  more  agreeable  account  of  Portugal  and  the  Portuguese  could  scarcely, 
have  been  written,  and  it  will  surprise  us  if  the  book  does  not  live  as  one  of  the  best 
descriptions  we  possess  of  a  foreign  nation." — St.  James  Gazette. 

A  FORBIDDEN  LAND;  OR,  VOYAGES  TO  THE  COREA. 

With  full  description  of  the  manners,  customs,  history,  etc.,  of  a  com- 
munity of  some  16,000,000  people  hitherto  almost  entirely  unknown. 
By  Ernst  Oppert.     Octavo,  with  maps  and  illustrations,  $3  00 

''  The  author  combines  a  story  of  his  personal  adventures,  with  a  most  intel- 
ligible description  of  the  country,  its  inhabitants,  their  customs,  and  of  everything 
wnivli  «vould  help  his  readers  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  what  he  himself  saw  and 
learned." — The  Churchman. 

"  Sure  to  be  eagerly  and  widely  read    "     *  contains  almost  the  only  au- 

thentic description  of  Corea  and  its  people  with  which  the  public  are  familiar." — San 
Francisco  Bulletin, 

"  Full  of  data  of  the  highest  value  on  the  geography  and  history  of  Corea,  its 
commercial  value  and  products.  ' — New  York  Times. 

"  Mr,  Oppert  has  made  a  book  of  rare  interest." — New  York  Evening  Post. 

"  His  personal  narrative  is  one  of  great  interest  *  *  ♦  hs  is  rewarded  for 
his  enterprise  in  being  able  to  communicate  so  much  novel  and  valuable  information 
in  regard  to  a  country  which  has  so  long  remained  beyond  the  scope  of  geographical 
research." — New  York  Tribune. 


ROMAN    DAYS.      By  Viktor    Rydberg.      Translated    by  Alfred 

Corning  Clark,  with  Memoir  of  the  author  by  H.  A.  W.  Lindehn. 

Octavo,  cloth.     Illustrated ,     $2  00 

The  volume  embodies  the  results  of  careful  historical  studies,  and  gives  some 
legendary  matters  not  heretofore  brought  forward.  The  art  criticisms  are  the  work, 
ofa  poet  and  scholar ;  the  brief  historical  and  topographical  sketches,  those  of  a  clear" 
headed  philosopher  and  eager  traveller,  a  quick  observer,  a  man  of  general  and  fhoi- 
ough  culture.  The  book  is  a  picturesque  mosaic  of  the  many  brilliant,  sober,  gay, 
comic,  dramatic,  tragic,  poetic,  vulgar  elements  that  make  up  the  past  history  of  that 
wonderful  city  and  the  physiognomy  it  bears  to-day. 

"  We  welcome  Ihiswork  from  the  hardy  North  for  its  broad  scholarship,  its 
freshness  and  ripeness.  The  articles  betray  an  artistic  discrimination  rare  in  one  not 
a  sculptor  by  profession  and  experienced  and  enthusiastic  in  that  art.  Rydberg  pes' 
sesses  the  pure  plastic  spirit."— A^,  Y.  Herald. 


■:--••;!( 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS.     X 

A   NEW   BOOK   BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF    **  CONSTANTINOPLE." 

HOLLAND  AND  ITS  PEOPLE.     By  Edmundo  de  Amicis,  author 

of  "  Constantinople,"  '*  Studies  of  Paris,"  "  Morocco,"  "  Spain,"  etc. 

Octavo.     With  i8  full-page  plates $2  oo 

In  this  volume  of  which  editions  are  appearing?  at  once  ia  Florence,  Paris, 
London  and  New  York,  the  brilliant  author  of  "  Paris"'  and  "  Constantinople  "  has 
turned  his  steps  to  a  land  abounding  in  picturesque  effects  and  whose  history  is  full  uf 
dramatic  interest,  and  his  vivid  descriptions  of  the  Hollanders  and  their  homes  show 
that  his  pen  has  lost  none  of  its  eloquence  or  delicacy  of  touch.  His  analysis  of  the 
traits  and  characteristics  of  this  sturdy  race,  which  has  played  so  important  a  part  in. 
the  history  of  Europe,  is  most  interesting  and  valuable. 

"  In  descriptive  passages,  Signor  Amicis  is  at  home.  A  wealth  of  imagery 
flows  from  his  pen  and  lightens  the  pages  into  prose  (loems.  He  has  a  quiet  humor  of 
the  Latin  type,  a  disposition  to  be  amused  \  but  he  is  quick  to  sympathize  with  the 
emotions  of  nis  Dutch  friends,  and  if  he  smiles  at  their  stolidity,  admires  the  rugged 
qualities  and  native  genius  which  have  produced  a  William  of  Orange,  a  John  De  Witt, 
a  Barneveld,  and  a  Rembrandt." — Boston  Traveller.  ' 

"  Edmundo  de  Amicis  has  transformed  the  land  of  dykes  into  a  land  of  beautyf 
of  wonder^  and  of  enchantment.  He  has  written,  in  a  word,  a  book  in  every  sense 
charming." — Chicago  Times. 

"  It  is  only  simple  justice  to  say  that  a  more  delightful  volume  of  travel* 
hardly  may  be  found." — Philadelphia  Times. 

'*  His  sparkling,  graphic  book  is  a  thoroughly  charming  one,  to  which  we  give 
the  most  unaffected  praise." — Louisville  Cjurier-yournal. 


BY  THE   SAME   AUTHOR. 


CONSTANTINOPLE.    8vo,  cloth ^i  50 

De  Amicis  is  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  brilliant  of  the  present  generation 
of  Italian  writers,  and  this  latest  work  from  his  pen,  as  well  from  the  picturesqueness 
of  its  descriptions  as  for  its  skilful  analysis  of  the  traits  and  characteristics  of  th«  med- 
ley of  races  represented  in  the  Turkish  capital,  possesses  an  exceptional  interest  and 
value. 

"  The  most  picturesque  and  entertaining  volume  contained  in  the  recent  litera- 
ture on  the  Eastern  question." — Boston  Journal. 

"  A  remarkable  work  *  ♦  *  the  author  is  a  poet,  an  artist,  a  wonder- 
worker in  words  *  *  *  his  descriptions  are  given  with  rare  skill." — N.Y.  Evening 
Post. 


STUDIES  OF  PARIS.    By  Edmundo  de  Amicis,  author  of  "Con- 
stantinople,"  "  Morocco,"  "Holland,"  etc.     i2mo,  cloth  extra,  $1  25 

A  series  of  wonderfully  vivid  and  dramatic  pictures  of  the  great  world's  me- 
tropolis, by  a  writer  whose  previous  books  have  gained  a  reputation  for  exceptional 
clearness  of  perception  and  facilit''  in  description.  There  is  hardly  a  writer  who  can 
rival  him  in  his  power  of  reproducing  for  his  readers  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  place 
he  describes.  These  "  Studies"  include  original  and  characteristic  papers  on  the  two 
authors  whom  he  considers  especially  representative  of  the  Paris  of  to-day — Hugo  and 
Zola. 

"  Poet  in  prose,  painter  in  phrases,  subtle  musician  in  the  harmonies  of  lan- 
guage, de  Amicis  has  comprehended  the  manifold  amazement,  the  potent  charm  of 
Pans  as  no  writer  before  him  has  done." — Portland  Press. 

^  "A  marvel  of  intense,  rapid,  graphic  and  poetic  description,  by  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  of  modern  Italian  writers.  The  chapters  on  Hugo  and  Zola  show  the  same 
power  of  description  and  analysis  in  dealing  with  mind  and  character." — Chrititam 
Register. 


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